Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 30

The light and shadows flickered on the screen, a lingering kiss…

The light and shadows flickered on the screen, the lingering kiss had entered a more intense phase.

Clothing was impatiently ripped away, skin was largely exposed under the ambiguous lighting, and the sounds of gasping became rapid and fractured, interwoven with uncontrollable, blush-inducing moans.

The Bluetooth speaker faithfully amplified every subtle sound, filling the confined space where only the duo’s heavy breathing and the film’s audio remained.

Yet, there was no one to appreciate it; the two people who should have been bystanders were both trapped in a terrible situation.

“Mmm… Li Ting, get off me.” A short, uncontrolled sob escaped Si Xiaoxiao’s throat.

She bit her lower lip hard, trying to suppress the unfamiliar heat and flutter that was sweeping up from deep within her abdomen.

Li Ting’s body seemed to sink further down; her back was pressed tight against Si Xiaoxiao’s chest, the heavy, soft pressure nearly suffocating Si Xiaoxiao.

Si Xiaoxiao could feel the muscles on the outside of Li Ting’s thigh tightening too, seemingly resisting the double dose of discomfort that came from the “co-sensing.”

“…I can’t move right now, my foot hurts too much.” Li Ting retorted, shifting the blame to Si Xiaoxiao: “But you, can’t you slow your heart rate down?”

“You see two gorgeous women kissing in front of you and starting to undress, and you have no reaction!?” Si Xiaoxiao gave up on herself. Since her physiological reaction was hard to hide, she decided to blame the movie.

Li Ting seemed to catch her breath from the intense pain, turning her head. Her damp, loose hair brushed against Si Xiaoxiao’s jawline, causing a subtle tickle.

Her voice was still suppressed and hoarse, yet it recovered that sharp, venomous tone of calm analysis that made Si Xiaoxiao’s teeth itch with hatred: “Heh, the pure straight girl.”

“W-watch… watch the movie! Weren’t we supposed to… learn acting? Keep going!” Si Xiaoxiao yelled, forcing her gaze to stay fixed on the two entangled figures on the screen, trying to restrain her unruly heart.

So, she pretended nothing was wrong and commented: “This… this canary’s movements… are too… too deliberate! Who… who is that impatient! It has no… no aesthetic sense at all!”

She struggled to find flaws in the frame, trying to use criticism to neutralize the impact of the visuals.

“Hmm… sufficient explosive power, but lacking in layers. Compared to the patron’s… restrained sense of control earlier… she seems more like she’s… venting… animalistic instinct.”

It did sound quite professional.

“Heh…”

Li Ting let out an ambiguous soft laugh, her breath brushing against the skin on Si Xiaoxiao’s neck, causing a tiny shiver.

“Li Ting, what do you think?” Si Xiaoxiao was determined to see the movie-watching session with her rival through to the end, and to prove her innocence, she turned the question back to Li Ting for her opinion.

What a person who absolutely refused to admit defeat.

To this, Li Ting’s answer was: “Oh, I think we don’t have to watch it.”

Immediately after, the screen went black.

It was Li Ting; she had turned off the film.

And the pure straight girl, Si Xiaoxiao, lay back as if granted a great pardon, yet still spoke stubbornly: “Why did you turn it off? I hadn’t finished my critique!”

“Half an hour is up, give me the hair tie.” Li Ting’s voice was exceptionally clear in the darkness.

It was no longer hoarse with pain, nor venomous with mockery, but a calmness that was almost icy and businesslike, as if the chaos moments ago had never happened.

She didn’t even try to get up from Si Xiaoxiao immediately, merely turning slightly and extending her hand towards Si Xiaoxiao.

“…”

Si Xiaoxiao, huffing with annoyance, tied the hair tie around Li Ting’s neck: “There, this is your new collar from me, your master. Remember to wear it tomorrow.”

With that, she pushed Li Ting away and limped out, leaning on the wall.

The door closed tightly, completely shutting out the last trace of noise.

Li Ting was alone, trapped in the room’s dense darkness, like a forgotten sculpture; time seemed to solidify around her for a long while.

Her fingertips wandered unconsciously, finally resting on the non-native, slightly cool, silky-smooth hair tie around her neck.

It was like a silent mark of captivity, or perhaps a lingering warmth.

Her thumb pad gently rubbed the delicate satin. In the darkness, the corner of Li Ting’s mouth, with extreme subtlety, like a crack quietly spreading on a sheet of ice, lifted into an almost imperceptible curve.

Just moments ago, beyond Si Xiaoxiao’s scorching breath and intensely present heartbeat, she had clearly captured it.

—That sound, not captured through the eardrum, but directly imprinted deep in her consciousness, was Si Xiaoxiao’s true inner voice.

The morning light was faint, piercing the café’s massive floor-to-ceiling windows and casting mottled light and shadow on the polished wooden floor. The air was filled with the mellow aroma of roasted coffee beans and a tacit sense of tension.

Filming had to continue. The set was still the same retro-styled small café from yesterday, and the props hadn’t been moved an inch.

The director’s team was ready, and multiple cameras were once again aimed at the center of the set.

What they were shooting today was still the “seduction” scene that had caused Li Ting to return defeated yesterday.

The script hadn’t changed, the lines hadn’t changed, and the acting partner was still Si Xiaoxiao, who was sitting opposite, her foot still carefully propped up, her eyes now complex and holding a hint of imperceptible wariness.

What was different today was Li Ting, standing opposite Si Xiaoxiao.

Today, Li Ting wore a navy blue silk shirt with an excellent cut, the top two buttons undone. The hair tie was loosely draped around her neck; instead of successfully concealing anything, it just made her look deliberately suggestive, like a special kind of allure. It was a complete departure from her usual upright and refined demeanor, conveying a look of unrestrained, seductive charm right from the makeup and styling.

After all, having received such a script, it was fitting to make changes to the styling.

“Action!”

The director’s voice dropped, and the clapperboard snapped shut with a clear sound.

The camera focused on Li Ting.

Her eyes changed instantly—it was an invitation that was lazy, almost arrogant, yet full of fatal attraction.

Si Xiaoxiao felt she had seen this look before, like the female lead’s gaze in the movie they watched yesterday.

After leaving Li Ting’s room, Si Xiaoxiao couldn’t resist finding the resources to finish the movie. She disliked leaving things half-done and suddenly stopping.

The plot was as briefly summarized by Li Ting yesterday, telling a very nuanced love story.

Si Xiaoxiao couldn’t quite appreciate overly artistic works, and this was also a queer film.

It was probably a story about a malicious patron who, after a journey of self-realization and change of heart, discovers that the “puppy” she thought was devotedly in love with her was only playing around and didn’t understand what love was. So, the patron resigned herself to conquering and teaching the “puppy” the correct values.

The role Li Ting was studying was that of the “canary” in the story, who lived as a weapon of war and, in turn, used the patron as a tool for physical release.

She portrayed the canary’s naive seduction excellently. Her eyes were alluring and captivating, instantly making her usually plain face incredibly vivid.

Her clear, cold voice was deliberately lowered, carrying a hint of morning hoarseness. Every word was like a small hook, clearly tapping on the hearts of the onlookers.

“You tonight…” She leaned in slightly, her fingertips tracing the edge of the table subtly. Her gaze locked onto Si Xiaoxiao, speaking the line with a terrifyingly direct yet naive desire: “You’re truly beautiful.”

The crew on set held their breath, drawn into the world Li Ting had constructed. The director’s eyes flashed with astonishment; everyone on set felt that today’s shoot was guaranteed to be a success.

However, Si Xiaoxiao, in the eye of the storm, sensed that something was wrong.

This was not Li Ting’s style of acting.

Incorrect.

Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by a cold hand. Far from feeling any seductive flutter, she was instead overcome by an increasingly strong discomfort and… anger.

Such an excellent performance was nothing more than a complete, one-to-one replication of the character in that movie.

Li Ting’s talent should not be used to become someone else; she should be herself.

This was not Li Ting’s performance.

She looked at Li Ting’s eyes, which seemed captivating but were actually empty, reflecting another person’s shadow, and at the perfect yet false curve of her lips—all of it was so annoying.

If she hadn’t watched that movie, she would certainly have been amazed by Li Ting’s performance.

“Cut—”

Si Xiaoxiao interrupted Li Ting’s performance.

She spoke in an unquestionable tone: “The emotion is wrong.”

The crew members exchanged glances, a bit confused.

The director also frowned but remained silent.

Li Ting’s eyes flickered. The moment Si Xiaoxiao spoke, she withdrew from the story’s emotion and returned to her usual self.

However, she did not refute, but went back to the very beginning of the scene.

One more time.

Li Ting entered the state again, seemingly still unaware of the problem, replicating someone else’s performance one-to-one.

It was not an emotional resonance bursting forth from the heart, but more like a science student performing an experiment, precisely adding every emotional ingredient into a test tube.

Just as things were getting better, Si Xiaoxiao shouted “Cut” again, and this time she offered no explanation.

Start over, once more.

Li Ting’s movement froze in place. The carefully constructed expression of naive seduction on her face instantly shattered, leaving only the confusion from being continuously interrupted and a trace of… humiliated embarrassment.

The crew members looked hesitantly at the director because, in their view, Li Ting’s performance today was a huge improvement, and Si Xiaoxiao looked like she was deliberately making things difficult.

The director shook her head, tacitly allowing this confrontation between the actresses.

In her opinion, this was good for the shoot. Li Ting’s excellent performance was continuously rejected by Si Xiaoxiao. Given that Si Xiaoxiao was famously known in the industry for poor acting, anyone who watched the show would know who was right and wrong once the episode aired. Wouldn’t that bring the show immense popularity?

No malicious editing was even needed; airing it would be an instant viral moment.

The tension between the two actresses continued, their locked gazes seemingly sparking with conflict.

Whenever it reached this point, the electronic voice would once again break the deadlock.

The script ‘The Prison Warden’s Interrogation Time’ is about to be reloaded. Please prepare, hosts—

The three days were up. Si Xiaoxiao and Li Ting hadn’t managed to discuss any strategy, yet the instance had descended upon them again.

Only this time, the instance seemed to have undergone a massive change.

This time, the person who became the prisoner—was Si Xiaoxiao.

Support