I Ran Away After Flirting with the Goddess - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

An Rongrong looked at Ji Ning and Director Mao with sparkling eyes. On the surface, she wore a worried expression that said, “Please don’t fight,” but in her heart, she was excitedly shouting:

Fight! Fight!!!

Director Mao, stand your ground! Don’t pity Ji Ning just because she’s a Green Tea Leaf!!

An Rongrong was overthinking it; in Director Mao’s eyes, gender didn’t exist his verbal output was indiscriminate. “Ji Ning, whose script are you holding?”

Ji Ning was momentarily stunned and didn’t react immediately. She said hesitantly, “Chen Yu’s.”

“So you do know you’re holding Chen Yu’s!” Ji Ning’s words poked Director Mao’s hornet’s nest. “I thought you were aiming for the lead role.”

“You act the character of the script you’re given. You’re not a newcomer to the industry, how do you not even know this?” Director Mao’s voice was loud, making his tone sound very fierce. “Where did your state of mind from this morning go? Was the crew’s lunch too nourishing or something? Did one lunch break nourish you so much that you forgot your own character setting and purpose?”

“Those who know would say you’re playing Luo Yue’s niece; those who don’t would think you’re playing her love rival,” Director Mao slapped his thigh with his rolled-up script, slowing his speech down and speaking with a tone of “hating that iron won’t become steel.” “I brought you here to be Luo Yue’s wingman. Why do you look like you want to jump in and fight her for Ye Tan?”

To an outsider, it might have looked like the two were locked in a covert struggle, jealous of each other over Shen Lishu, insisting on competing to see who was superior.

Ji Ning was scolded into a daze. She had never seen a director like this. Back when she filmed web dramas, because she was the “traffic draw,” the whole crew coddled her. It wasn’t unheard of for her to throw a fit and refuse to act if she was unhappy.

How did it come to this? For just a small mistake, she was being scolded like a grandson!

Ji Ning had heard that Director Mao had a bad temper and belonged to the “irascible” category among famous directors, but since she hadn’t experienced it personally, she hadn’t felt anything. Even when he was scolding An Rongrong earlier, Ji Ning didn’t think it was much she even thought it was “just okay.”

But now that the person being scolded was herself, she finally understood what “sonic attack” meant.

The head-on criticism crashed against her face; Ji Ning’s face burned, and she found it hard to endure. She pinched the back of her hand with the fingers she had crossed over her stomach, and her eyes immediately turned red.

“I’m sorry, I just wanted to perform well,” Ji Ning sobbed softly, tears swirling in her eyes. “I thought Rongrong would catch the cues, so I overdid it.”

An Rongrong, suddenly being “called out,” had a forehead full of question marks.

Meow meow meow???

If you want to show off, then show off, but why are you throwing the blame on me?

Ji Ning lowered her head and cried. Her assistant ran over with tissues, fanning her and wiping her tears. The scene became somewhat awkward for a moment, as if the entire crew had united to bully her.

It wasn’t that Ji Ning hadn’t seen An Rongrong get scolded; the latter would lower her head, admit her fault, and correct it immediately. Why did it turn into aggrieved tears and blame-shifting when it came to her?

Comparing the two, the crew members might not say anything openly, but they couldn’t help but make comparisons in secret. There was a reason why An Rongrong was so likable. Who wouldn’t love a lively, cheerful, and “sand-sculpture” (silly/cute) little sister?

The assistant director wanted to come up and smooth things over, saying tentatively to Ji Ning, “Teacher Ji, don’t feel too bad. Director Mao just has this kind of temper. He didn’t do it on purpose; he just has a loud voice.”

“I know, it’s my fault for not acting well,” Ji Ning wiped the tear tracks from her face. Her tone sounded displeased, completely at odds with her words. “I don’t blame Director Mao.”

She harbored resentment in her heart, feeling that Director Mao was making a mountain out of a molehill.

The assistant director gave an embarrassed smile, wanting to let it slide, but who knew Director Mao wasn’t willing to let it go? “If you know you didn’t act well, then why are you crying? Did I say anything wrong? If you’re this ‘glass-hearted,’ why be an actor? Wouldn’t it be better to go home and raise pigs?”

“Acting should look like acting. This is only the first time I’ve spoken to you and you’re this aggrieved. It seems you’re used to being pampered and lack the harsh beatings of society.”

Director Mao’s face was long and grim. He suddenly pointed at An Rongrong next to him and said, “I’ve scolded Rongrong so many times, has she ever shed a tear like you? If you were the lead, with your temper and acting skills, I’d be scolding you dozens of times a day!”

An Rongrong, called out again, blinked her eyes. Hearing Director Mao say this, a weird sense of pride actually welled up in her heart. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.

In terms of being scolded, her resistance was indeed quite strong.

Does this even count as a strength?!

Shen Lishu glanced at her. Seeing An Rongrong’s big eyes rounded and her peach-like face white with a hint of pink showing a look of dazed confliction, she couldn’t help but smile. She was as cute as a little hamster; one just wanted to roll her up in their palm and rua (pet/squeeze) her!

Originally, Ji Ning’s tears were forced by her own pinching, waiting for someone to coax her. Now, hearing Director Mao’s words, she gasped for air and started crying for real out of anger. What sin did she commit to come to this crew and suffer such grievances? Was she short on this bit of money?

In her heart, Ji Ning cursed Mao Yi from head to toe, almost blurting out that she was quitting.

The assistant director was caught in the middle; Director Mao wouldn’t listen to her, and Ji Ning refused to communicate with her. The atmosphere on the set fell into a silent stalemate, with only the sound of Ji Ning’s aggrieved sobbing.

The assistant director looked to Shen Lishu for help; she was the only one who could get a word in.

An Rongrong originally wanted to just watch the drama, but seeing the assistant director in such a difficult position, she couldn’t help but look up at Shen Lishu with a soft heart.

Shen Lishu was lazily draped over An Rongrong’s shoulder. She looked down and met those clean, beautiful eyes, and let out a “tsk.”

“Alright, Ji Ning, don’t feel so aggrieved. Director Mao’s words are harsh, but his logic is sound,” Shen Lishu stood up straight and said to Ji Ning. “You should play the role of the script you’re given. You can’t think about crushing everyone else and outshining them. It’s lucky you’re up against Rongrong; she’s a newcomer with a soft temper. If it were anyone with veteran acting skills, making you look like a fool in public would be the least of your worries.”

If Ji Ning had dared to be this “jumpy” while acting against Shen Lishu, Shen Lishu could have crushed her so hard she’d doubt her entire career. Ji Ning thought her acting was great, but in the eyes of Director Mao and Shen Lishu, it was full of crude flaws.

“Ji Ning, adjust your mood. Have the makeup artist come and touch up your makeup, and we’ll reshoot in a bit,” Shen Lishu clapped her hands, essentially taking control of the scene in place of the assistant director. “Consider today a lesson from Director Mao. No one doesn’t want to act well; just remember it for next time.”

Seeing that Director Mao still wanted to keep nagging, Shen Lishu’s hand landed with moderate weight on his round, broad shoulder. She said with a “skin-deep” smile, “That’s enough, Director Mao.”

She didn’t want to be a mediator; everyone should just quit while they’re ahead.

Perhaps because Shen Lishu showed this intention too clearly on her face, Director Mao sheepishly shut his mouth and looked down at his script as a distraction.

Ji Ning sat on a nearby sofa while the makeup artist touched up her makeup. Shen Lishu went to get some water and happened to walk past her.

“Teacher Shen, thank you for helping me out,” Ji Ning took a deep breath and looked up at her. “Can I call you Sister Lishu like An Rongrong does?”

Shen Lishu “clicked” the bottle cap open, raised an eyebrow slightly, and gave Ji Ning a curled-lip smile.

Just as Ji Ning thought she would say yes, she heard the Best Actress ponder for a moment. “It’s not appropriate to call me ‘Sister’.”

Ji Ning looked up at her in confusion.

Perhaps no one else noticed Ji Ning shifting the blame for her overacting onto An Rongrong earlier, but Shen Lishu had. An Rongrong was a newcomer, so it was “normal” for her to take the fall for acting issues, and others took it for granted but Shen Lishu felt uncomfortable with it.

The Best Actress was both protective and one to hold a grudge.

She smiled slightly, meeting Ji Ning’s gaze, and curled her lips. “According to the generational rank in the drama, you should be calling me ‘Aunt’.”

Ji Ning thought she had misheard. “Aunt?”

Shen Lishu burst into a laugh. “Oh, you’re making me blush.”

Ji Ning: “…”

F*ck!

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