I Transmigrated Into A Fanfiction And Got Pregnant With The Movie Star's Child - Chapter 8

As soon as He Chenchen made his announcement, the other five trainees cast looks of envy and jealousy toward Ji Xing.

Although serving as the teaching assistant meant missing out on the first-stage performance and earning no performance scores, it offered the chance to stay by He Chenchen’s side every day, granting opportunities for close-range contact and learning from the movie emperor.

Compared to participating in the performance itself, coming and going with the movie emperor daily would undoubtedly yield far more valuable lessons, and they might even become friends. Naturally, for the trainees in the training camp, this was an opportunity they could only dream of.

Yet no one expected He Chenchen to ultimately select Ji Xing.

“Come sit beside me and help me take notes later,” He Chenchen instructed, gesturing toward Ji Xing.

Ji Xing obediently walked over to take the seat behind He Chenchen, accepting the notebook and pen handed to him.

Next came the specific performance pairings. Among the five members in the group, two would participate in the weird tales segment, while the other three would take part in the palace intrigue segment.

He Chenchen hadn’t given Ji Xing explicit instructions on how to take notes, and too timid to ask, Ji Xing relied on his own understanding to write down everything he deemed useful. This included how He Chenchen grouped the trainees, his critiques of each person’s current state and strengths or weaknesses, and points to watch out for during upcoming rehearsals.

Whenever he encountered parts he didn’t quite understand, he jotted down a small mark, planning to ask for clarification later to see if supplemental notes were needed. When He Chenchen finished assigning the trainees and glanced back at Ji Xing, he discovered that the younger man had already neatly filled several pages.

Noticing He Chenchen looking his way, Ji Xing stood up promptly, resembling an obedient student waiting for a teacher’s verdict.

He Chenchen took the notes to glance over them, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes. Ji Xing appeared somewhat introverted, rarely showing enthusiasm in the program and keeping out of competitions, but He Chenchen unexpectedly discovered that the boy possessed remarkably clear logic, even managing to capture his underlying implications and subtext while taking notes.

Generally speaking, anyone capable of this either shared a strong rapport with him, like Pei Yun, or possessed a solid understanding of his working style and principles. Achieving the latter wasn’t too difficult, as nearly all the staff members around him could do it. But Ji Xing…

As He Chenchen looked at him, he saw the younger man take a deep breath, instantly shifting from a relaxed state back into high tension.

“Have something to say?” He Chenchen asked.

“Teacher He, I wanted to ask if there’s anything else I need to do besides taking these notes for you?”

“Assist me with all tasks related to the rehearsal. Just stick by me for this period, and I’ll let you know what needs to be done,” He Chenchen replied.

“Is that only inside the studio? Or do I need to follow you at other times too?” Ji Xing pressed further.

He Chenchen fell silent for a few seconds before saying, “I occasionally handle some work during my personal time.”

Ji Xing thought it over, mentally translating that sentence to mean he was expected to follow along during personal time as well.

Consequently, during rehearsal that afternoon, Ji Xing foolishly trailed right behind He Chenchen all the way to the restroom, only realizing something was wrong once they crossed the doorway, at which point he quietly backed out.

Witnessing this scene, a curve formed at the corner of He Chenchen’s lips, one he didn’t even notice himself.

The training over the first two days remained relatively generalized, with He Chenchen primarily leading the actors through script readings and analyzing character personas and relational dynamics. Though he didn’t secure a role, Ji Xing had the privilege of participating in the learning process for both groups from start to finish.

While He Chenchen usually appeared unapproachable, he displayed immense patience when answering trainees’ questions, as if terrified they wouldn’t understand. Sometimes, mid-explanation, he would even pull over Ji Xing’s notes to check whether the boy had kept up with his train of thought.

By the third day, the two groups officially entered the rehearsal stage.

The trainees in the palace intrigue group possessed better innate qualifications and delivered commendable performances, requiring He Chenchen to offer only minor pointers and correct a few minor flaws. However, the trainees in the weird tales group fared poorly, especially the one portraying the scholar, whose performance lacked emotional fluctuation, remaining stuck in the exact same state throughout a multi-minute segment.

“The core emotion of this scene is indeed fear. The scholar realizes the woman he has been secretly meeting with is actually a fox demon, and in his panic, he dares not grow close to her again, accidentally injuring himself while trying to flee in terror. Later, he is saved by the fox demon, yet he remains too terrified to let her near him…” He Chenchen explained to the trainee playing the scholar. “However, the fear across these different stages varies. The initial fear carries doubt and leans more toward unease. Only after verifying the truth and seeing the fox demon’s true form does the genuine terror set in. When he is injured, the fear reaches its peak. Once the fox demon saves him, his panic subsides, and that fear should now be mingled with a hint of something else…”

He Chenchen paused and looked at the trainee, but the other man wore a blank expression, showing zero signs of active thought.

“Hand me your notes,” He Chenchen said, extending a hand toward Ji Xing.

Ji Xing handed over his notebook, revealing the final line written inside:

Hesitation, doubt, gratitude.

Those words had likely been jotted down as He Chenchen spoke. Although He Chenchen hadn’t explicitly stated the final emotion aloud, Ji Xing had deduced his own hypothesis based on personal understanding.

Without offering any commentary, He Chenchen handed the notebook back to Ji Xing.

“What do you think it is?” He Chenchen asked the trainee.

“Revulsion? Regret?” the trainee suggested.

“Why?”

“Any man who discovers he has blindly slept with a fox demon would feel disgusted, right? Afterward, the other party keeps clinging on with lingering affection, which is why he would feel repulsed and regret ever meeting the fox demon.”

“When I took you through the script reading on the first day, what did I say forms the basis of analyzing a character’s psychology?” He Chenchen asked.

“Based on the character’s personality and setup,” the trainee answered.

“Then why are you substituting your own temperament and values for the scholar’s emotional choices?” He Chenchen’s tone remained calm, though a hint of impatience lingered in his eyes. “The scholar rescued an injured little fox two years ago and raised it in his room with meticulous care despite his classmates’ objections, which proves he is kind-hearted and cherishes living creatures. How could such a person feel revulsion toward a fox demon that saved his life?”

Furthermore, they had all read the complete script for this scene; the scholar ultimately chose to retire into seclusion with the fox demon, which sufficiently proved he held no aversion toward her.

Lacking the courage to argue further, the trainee looked thoroughly nervous.

“She just saved your life, and all you feel is terror?” He Chenchen asked again.

“No, gratitude as well?” the trainee asked tentatively.

He Chenchen nodded reluctantly. “Combine the emotional stages I outlined and run through the scene again.”

Following that, the two actors went through the scene once more.

The trainee playing the fox demon maintained a steady performance, but the one playing the scholar remained utterly mediocre.

Looking frustrated, the trainee hardly dared look at He Chenchen again.

Instead of getting angry, He Chenchen glanced at Ji Xing, who was clutching his notebook nearby, and signaled him to step forward.

“Teacher He.” Assuming another check was coming, Ji Xing obediently handed over his notebook.

He Chenchen set the notebook aside and stated, “Run through this scene with me to provide a demonstration for Chen Feng.”

“Oh.” Naturally, Ji Xing didn’t dare refuse.

He Chenchen asked, “You remember the lines, right?”

“Yes,” Ji Xing nodded.

Chen Feng, who had failed to memorize his lines properly after several rehearsals, felt a sudden wave of awkwardness.

Ji Xing initially thought He Chenchen would have him play the fox demon, but to his surprise, the man assigned him the role of the scholar. Consequently, the scholar Ji Xing found himself half-pushed and half-pinned to the ground by the fox demon He Chenchen.

“Are you really… are you really one?” Ji Xing asked him cautiously.

“Guess,” He Chenchen didn’t cross-dress to play the female fox demon; instead, he stepped directly into the role of an intensely aggressive male fox demon, leaning close to the scholar Ji Xing’s ear with a cunning glint in his eyes before grabbing the scholar’s hand and guiding it backward.

“Did you feel it, little gentleman?”

“Is this a tail?”

Her expression shifting drastically, the scholar Ji Xing turned to flee, but after crawling a few steps, he was yanked back by the ankle by the male fox demon He Chenchen.

“You’re not human! You’re a fox demon!”

Terrified out of his wits, the scholar lashed out with a kick to break free from the demon’s grasp and sprinted away.

The subsequent scene took place inside the fox’s lair, where the scholar opened his eyes upon waking to find the fox tending to a wound on his wrist.

“You…” Tasting blood in his mouth and noticing the injury on the fox’s wrist, the scholar asked, “You fed me your blood?”

“That’s right. Once you’ve drunk my blood, you can only follow me from now on,” the male fox demon replied with a triumphant grin.

Ji Xing’s gaze dropped to the fox’s wrist, his brow furrowing slightly with a look of lingering concern. At that moment, the male fox demon reached out to pinch his chin; he instinctively tried to flinch away, though the magnitude of his dodge was noticeably smaller than before.

“Don’t… don’t touch me,” Ji Xing stammered.

“That’s not up to you,” He Chenchen said, his gaze greedy and his tone carrying an unquestionable, possessive obsession.

Staring blankly at He Chenchen right before him, Ji Xing felt his heart race at a frantic pace, unable for a fleeting moment to tell whether this was merely a rehearsal or real life. It wasn’t until He Chenchen stepped back and reached down to pull him to his feet that Ji Xing gradually regained his composure.

Once the scene wrapped up, the trainee playing the fox demon watched in awe, immediately turning to the sub-group director to ask if she could review the playback of this segment so she could study it a few more times.

The trainee named Chen Feng muttered agreement, claiming he wanted to watch too, but out of the camera’s view, his gaze toward Ji Xing carried naked hostility. He suspected he might lose his role, convinced He Chenchen was bound to hand the part over to Ji Xing.

After all, Ji Xing performed vastly better than he did.

While Chen Feng consumed himself with anxiety and internal friction, the production crew began plotting of their own. During today’s rehearsal, the floor director sharply caught onto a potential talking point, seeking out He Chenchen to ask if he would be willing to stage a temporary role swap later on, suppressing Chen Feng in upcoming scenes before replacing him with Ji Xing right before the performance.

That way, the show’s trending topics would undoubtedly explode on hot searches, and Ji Xing could leverage the momentum to build a wave of fans.

“No need. Since the role was assigned to Chen Feng, I have no intention of changing actors,” He Chenchen refused flatly.

Hearing his response, the production crew didn’t dare push further and even offered an apology.

Having spent a long time in the industry, He Chenchen understood all the twists and turns behind the scenes. Landing a minor role might allow Ji Xing to pop off for a single episode, but with the show only just beginning, standing out too early meant making targets of themselves and gathering enemies.

The production crew excelled at manufacturing talking points; today they could prop Ji Xing up under the banner of a dark horse, and tomorrow they could find another excuse to send him crashing from grace overnight, falling harder than anyone else.

Unwilling to play such games with the production team, He Chenchen naturally rejected the idea.

However, the group director clearly hadn’t given up. Finding He Chenchen unyielding, he turned his sights onto Ji Xing instead, cornering him during that evening’s interview session to ask whether he wanted to take over the scholar’s role.

“No, no, no, I don’t have time right now,” Ji Xing answered honestly.

He Chenchen was an absolute workaholic, running back and forth between both groups every day, which left Ji Xing with zero free time either. Aside from sleeping and bathroom breaks, he spent nearly every waking moment attached to He Chenchen’s side.

Hearing that reply, the director found himself unable to push any of the subsequent leading questions.

Emerging from the interview room, Ji Xing spotted a tall, upright figure standing in the corridor from a distance. It was none other than He Chenchen.

“Teacher He,” he greeted obediently, hurrying forward.

“Interview finished?” He Chenchen asked.

“Mhm, they didn’t ask much before letting me out.”

He Chenchen swept a glance over him and stated, “Come with me.”

“Teacher He, where are we going?”

“To my room,” He Chenchen said.

Ji Xing: