The Entire Entertainment Industry Knows the Best Actor Has a Crush on Me - Chapter 4

The car was quiet no music, no conversation.

As the two of them were essentially strangers in this life, Qiao Zhiyu remained silent throughout the drive to avoid making a poor impression. He pretended to watch the scenery passing by outside, but every pore of his being was attuned to the handsome man sitting beside him.

A faint fragrance lingered in the air, pulling his thoughts back to the past. In his previous life, when they first met, the man had also worn cologne, but it wasn’t this specific scent. Later, when Qiao Zhiyu fell ill, his sense of taste had faded while his hearing and smell became hypersensitive. Noise became unbearable, and fragrances felt sharp and suffocating.

In response, the man had stopped wearing cologne entirely. He would even hang his washed clothes out for two or three days until every trace of detergent scent had vanished before wearing them.

Qiao Zhiyu couldn’t help but smile inwardly. In his last life, he really had been “blessed without the luck to enjoy it,” acting high-maintenance to a fault.

Suddenly, a tickle in his throat caused him to cough softly into his hand. He turned his head away, slowly regulating his breathing. A bottle of room-temperature mineral water was gently placed on his lap.

Startled, Qiao Zhiyu held the bottle to his chest and whispered a thank you.

The Surprised Director

Half an hour later, the car arrived at the hotel where the auditions were being held. After parking, Qiao Zhiyu led Pei Yuan into the elevator. While the general auditions were on the sixth floor, they headed straight for the eighth.

The hallway was quiet and deserted. Qiao Zhiyu pushed open a door to find the director, the screenwriter, and a few staff members waiting inside. The director was a relatively young-looking old man named Deng Gaofeng.

Seeing Qiao Zhiyu enter, the director spoke in an irritable tone, “You said you found a ‘big shot’ and insisted on a private audition. Hmph! I’d like to see just how big this star of yours is.”

However, the moment he saw the man following behind Qiao Zhiyu, he stood up abruptly. The others in the room gaped in disbelief.

“Film King Pei?! This you must have the wrong room!”

Pei Yuan stood at the door with his arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow at Qiao Zhiyu. “It seems we are in the wrong place. This old man is shooing us away.”

This was exactly why Qiao Zhiyu had insisted on a private session. Pei Yuan was too high-profile; no one would believe the Best Actor was here to audition for the second lead of a small-budget drama. Qiao Zhiyu had decided to act first and explain later.

Qiao Zhiyu gave a reassuring smile to the man beside him and lightly touched Pei Yuan’s wrist, leading him to the center of the room. He addressed the director: “We’re in the right place. Teacher Pei is here to audition for the second male lead.”

The director’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He stared at the two of them before forcing himself to sit back down and feign composure. This brat, why didn’t he mention something this intense earlier? Damn, it’s a good thing I don’t have a heart condition.

“Ahem. Then let’s begin.” The old man handed over a script. “This is a summary of the second lead’s scenes. Pick whichever one you like.”

The Scene: Mirror of the Moon

Pei Yuan flipped through the pages. He hadn’t looked closely at the script when he received the email, only skimming a few pages before bed. It was a bit cliché, but definitely a page-turner. He pointed to a specific segment and looked at Qiao Zhiyu. “Is it convenient for you to play opposite me?”

Qiao Zhiyu agreed with a smile and took the script.

Pei Yuan studied the man before him. In person, Qiao Zhiyu looked even paler and thinner than he did on a screen. He wondered what the boy had been raised on flour? He knew Qiao Zhiyu was destined to be a star; he didn’t mind giving him an early push.

The Plot: Mirror of the Moon is a palace power-struggle drama. Qiao Zhiyu plays the lead, ‘Chu Mingxin,’ the most neglected ‘Fourth Princess.’ Born a boy, he is forced to wear dresses because the political factions cannot allow another prince to divide the power. To live, he must be a girl.

Pei Yuan’s role, ‘Ji Yuli,’ is a powerful eunuch. He is the man everyone wants dead, yet his power is second only to the Emperor. Chu Mingxin utilizes Ji Yuli to gain power, but in the end, the eunuch dies by the ‘Princess’s’ hand.

The Performance

The atmosphere in the room shifted as the two entered their roles.

[The Scene: Inside the palace, incense smoke curls. Ji Yuli sits at a desk handling affairs. Chu Mingxin rests his chin on his hand, grinding ink for the man.]

Chu Mingxin is exhausted; his head nods until he nearly face-plants into the inkstone, only to be caught by Ji Yuli’s hand.

“Falling asleep while grinding ink? Your Highness is truly a marvel,” Pei Yuan delivered the line with perfect poise.

Chu Mingxin didn’t move from the position, murmuring groggily, “It’s because the Lord Nine-Thousand-Years writes too slowly…”

Their acting was incredibly natural. Even with a bare table and a room full of observers, they were fully immersed. Qiao Zhiyu’s skin felt as soft as Pei Yuan had imagined.

[Ji Yuli curls his lips into a light smile, his voice steady.] “Your Highness’s courage is growing by the day.”

Chu Mingxin placed his hand over the man’s slightly calloused one, looking at him with one eye half-open. “My Lord said it yourself, I am a Princess. Is it not right for me to serve my master?”

The eunuch laughed warmly, but his hand suddenly moved to pinch the pale, delicate cheek. His smile remained, but his voice turned ice-cold. “If Your Highness has forgotten your own words, perhaps this humble servant should help you remember?”

Chu Mingxin was forced to tilt his head back. He felt a genuine spark of fear but knew he couldn’t show it. To stay in this game, he had to deepen the man’s interest. He placed his hand on Ji Yuli’s arm, stroking it with gentle, rhythmic movements.

“I remember…” he whispered, the pinch making it difficult to speak. “If not for… My Lord… I would have long ago… starved to death…”

Pei Yuan wasn’t actually pinching hard, but Qiao Zhiyu’s reaction was so realistic that his grip instinctively loosened. As Qiao Zhiyu’s hand rubbed against the fabric of his sleeve, a sensation like an electric current traveled up Pei Yuan’s arm.

He nearly broke character. Good lord, Pei Yuan thought, I almost lost my Best Actor reputation right there.

[Ji Yuli narrows his eyes, staring at the fragile, beautiful princess in silence.]

Chu Mingxin didn’t speak either. His slender fingers slowly climbed up the hand that was holding his face, prying the fingers open until the grip was released. Resting his reddened cheek against those long, distinct fingers, he spoke in a pained tone, “Your hand is so heavy… you’ve made it ache…”

Ji Yuli suddenly let out a laugh, his warm expression returning. “It was this servant who lost his composure.”

As he made to withdraw his hand, Chu Mingxin chased after it. He leaned his weight onto Ji Yuli’s lap, his eyes fixed on the man like a hook. His voice was low and melodic: “I remember my own words, but what about you, My Lord? Do you want a companion for idle conversation… or are you looking for a ‘lover’ to share a pillow with?”

Chu Mingxin’s hand gave a light, deliberate squeeze to the man’s inner thigh. Before the other could react, he pulled away and stood up.

“My Lord just lost his composure and hurt this, Princess. This is my punishment for you. Do you accept it?”

Ji Yuli looked at the “little fox” before him, whose expression changed faster than the flipping of a book. He tilted his head and gave a low chuckle.

“Whatever Your Highness says, shall be done.”