The Fake Daughter is a Max-Level Green Tea [Transmigrated into a Book] - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Inversion

The script for Inversion was kept under strict embargo. Because of this, netizens who wanted to guess the plot had no way of knowing for sure; they could only scratch their heads in frustration, discussing and placing bets day after day online.

Some predicted failure, others voiced doubts. However, because the public reputation of the lead actors was generally excellent, few negative comments managed to reach the top of the discussion threads, and overly cynical remarks were quickly reported and deleted.

The combination of A-list actress Fang Qiuqi, who possessed both beauty and skill, and top-tier idol Qiao Shuo was enough to generate massive buzz. After the official release of the behind-the-scenes footage from the poster shoot, even more people joined the discussion about the core cast.

The final billing was settled in order of prominence: Fang Qiuqi, Qiao Shuo, Lu Chaoqing, Zhao Qifei, and Lin Chumu. Zhao Qifei was a young actor from another agency whose performances in various films had been commendable. Once the promotional photos were finished, it was time to prepare for entering the film crew. This was Lu Chaoqing’s first time on a movie set, and since she was going in with Lin Chumu, her parents were inevitably worried.

Sometimes Lu Chaoqing didn’t understand how Mother Lu, a powerful career woman, could look at her grown children as if they were three-year-olds. Not only did she personally help pack their bags, she even wished she could assign a nanny to accompany each of them. Both Lu Chaoqing and Lin Chumu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“A movie shoot only takes three months at most. Don’t worry, it won’t be that long. There’s no need to bring winter clothes; the crew won’t ban us from receiving packages… Yes, yes, I definitely won’t lose weight. I already have muscles!”

As Lu Chaoqing spoke, she showed Mother Lu her arms—no longer so fragile, the lines were soft and smooth but possessed a hint of strength that didn’t look out of place.

Mother Lu smiled and said “Alright,” then immediately turned to nag Lin Chumu. Looking over, Lu Chaoqing noticed that although Lin Chumu’s tone was a bit perfunctory, the gaze she directed at Mother Lu was full of warmth.

Likely no one would dislike the concern and care that comes from pure familial affection.

Regarding Lin Chumu’s move into acting, Du Yaqing had actually shared some details with Lu Chaoqing. Lin Chumu had majored in Performance in university and had always planned to develop as an actress; she just hadn’t found the right opportunity until now. Her previous appearance on the variety show was a warm-up; this movie was a trial run, crucial for her career path.

The filming location was a newly built university campus that wouldn’t officially open for some time, making it the perfect rental for the crew. The mid-autumn weather was cool and comfortable. After the opening ceremony, the main cast officially entered the production.

Jiang Yanqiu’s scripts always carried the fast-paced style of web novels, designed to hook the audience from the very beginning. The first scene today was Lu Chaoqing’s home ground, as the entire story would be triggered by her arc.

Xiang Yunchen’s solo storyline was quite tragic.

“Slap!”

A heavy blow landed on the girl’s face. Xiang Yunchen, hiding in a corner of the restroom with disheveled hair, stared with terrified, anxious eyes at the group “surrounding” her. The bright red mark of five fingers was exceptionally clear on her fair skin. She breathed heavily in a low voice but didn’t dare to resist at all.

A tall girl reached out, ruthlessly grabbed her arm, and jerked her forward. Xiang Yunchen stumbled, nearly falling onto the floor that had just been mopped with water. The clothes on her shoulder slipped slightly, revealing fair, rounded skin. One of the girls laughed while filming from the side: “Look up, Xiang Yunchen! Lift your head!”

The girl slowly opened her eyes. Her once-bright eyes were now hollow and lifeless; she huddled in the dark corner like a hedgehog stripped of its sharp quills. she allowed the blinding light of the camera flash to hit her eyes again and again, making her eyelids ache until she could hardly keep them open.

This was Lu Chaoqing’s first time playing such a role. To achieve the best effect, the hits were real. The first take had actually resulted in an “NG” (No Good) because the other actress had been too hesitant to strike hard. Ji Xiuyuan was a director who was usually gentle but demanded strict performance standards from everyone. After the actress hit too lightly, he immediately scolded her: “Are you helping her wipe her face or are you school bullying? You’re acting as soft as a little lamb—how can she immerse herself in the emotion? Hit her like a real bully would. Vent all your daily frustrations out on her!”

The actress looked at Lu Chaoqing apologetically. Looking at the girl with the bob-cut hair, she felt a strange, soft-hearted reluctance. But at Lu Chaoqing’s insistence and after a moment of hesitation, she steeled her heart and struck for real. The slap was quite hard, enough to make Lu Chaoqing’s head snap to the side.

“You like playing with women so much? Is it because no one else wants you? Should I report you to the instructor and have her take you to the psychiatric department?” The girl carelessly tilted Lu Chaoqing’s chin up, meeting her gaze in the gloom before pulling her lips into a cold sneer. “Look at that face of yours. Who gave you permission to tell Xu Mulin bad things about my brother?”

The girl emphasized every word: “Xu Mulin. Is. My. Brother’s. Girl. Friend. Got it?”

Xiang Yunchen neither confirmed nor denied. She merely lowered her head, gritting her teeth as she endured the insults and blows from these girls. Only her slowly heaving shoulders proved she was still alive. Eventually, the girls grew tired. The leader spat on the ground: “Playing with this mute freak is boring. Let’s go.”

The final kick landed ruthlessly on Xiang Yunchen before the girls swaggered away.

The short-haired girl’s eyes were dim as she wrapped herself tightly in her sweater.

The camera panned away perfectly at this moment, cutting to Lin Chumu, who had changed into a long dress. The woman, usually swift and decisive in the workplace, was dressed in such a pure and elegant outfit for the first time, giving her a more approachable feel. Her long, straight black hair moved with the breeze, and the thin layer of air-bangs on her forehead fluttered up.

Her makeup was relatively light, but the lens—lacking filters or beauty effects—demanded even higher standards for her facial features. Xu Mulin’s aura of noble elegance was fully interpreted through her gestures. With just a glance, she could easily capture the camera’s focus.

She was like a flower on a high cliff, standing independent and radiant amidst wind and snow, someone who should have had no intersection with the grass on the ground.

The event that changed their relationship was a sports meet.

The projects at Dongzhou University’s sports meet were always quirky and varied. Besides the usual hundreds-of-meters sprints, high jumps, long jumps, and relays, there were also archery and diving—events similar to a formal athletic meet. When the class monitor took a tally, because they were short on participants, everyone was required to sign up for at least one event. Xu Mulin chose the women’s doubles archery.

The sun that day was as fierce as a burning ball, seemingly capable of scorching the world into a wasteland. The peak of midsummer meant stifling heat. Even though everyone wore sunscreen and fans were set up around the perimeter, many athletes still fainted one after another from heatstroke.

Because there was a women’s 400-meter sprint before the archery competition, a girl in Xiang Yunchen’s class who knew archery became physically exhausted after suffering from heatstroke and had to withdraw. The remaining partner frantically reported to the class monitor. At this time, most people in the class were either busy with other events, knew nothing about archery, or were hiding far away to avoid the sun. Only Xiang Yunchen was nominated by the others to fill the gap.

“Didn’t she say before that she took a few archery lessons at a club? It’s better than knowing nothing at all, right? Monitor, just treat a dead horse as if it were alive. We weren’t expecting a prize anyway, so why not just let her go?”

One person spoke up first in a sarcastic tone. Then, as if remembering something, they suddenly raised their voice: “Oh right, Xu Mulin is there too. Hasn’t she always wanted to get close to Senior Xu? Isn’t now the perfect time? You were making a scene back when she didn’t know you; now you have a chance to meet. Better hurry up!”

The people around burst into raucous laughter. No one cared how the girl with her head lowered felt. The girl who had previously cornered and beaten Xiang Yunchen in the restroom looked up with disdain and triumph.

The previous beating hadn’t satisfied her anger. After all, this freak didn’t make a sound when she was hit; if you didn’t know better, you’d think she was a mute. She wanted to see Xiang Yunchen lose face in public, especially in front of Xu Mulin.

Previously, her brother wanted to pursue Xu Mulin, but because his private life was a bit messy, Xiang Yunchen had spotted him once and sent Xu Mulin an anonymous letter. Originally, Xu Mulin looked like she was about to soften her stance, but that anonymous letter made her cold toward her brother again. The girl couldn’t let it go and looked for trouble for Xiang Yunchen at every turn.

This included, but was not limited to, creating every possible opportunity for Xiang Yunchen to make a fool of herself.

Xiang Yunchen’s expression wasn’t good, but under the “nomination” of the crowd, she couldn’t refuse. She could only walk slowly toward the field amidst their shouting. The archery competition was about to start. Seeing that her teammate was actually Xiang Yunchen—who rarely participated in sports—the other athlete’s expression darkened as well. However, having a bit more class, she held her tongue, though the look she directed at her was full of confusion.

“Where’s Lin Sha?”

Lin Sha was the name of the girl who had fainted. Everyone said she had heatstroke, but Xiang Yunchen had clearly seen her smiling and playing with someone else right before they were supposed to go on stage. There was no sign of physical exhaustion. However, Xiang Yunchen didn’t say it directly, only offering a vague explanation.

“Then you…” The teammate wanted to say something but held back, though her expression was clearly one of deep disappointment. Xiang Yunchen didn’t make a sound either. She walked slowly to her side and began to calibrate the bowstring—while her eyes secretly darted toward another spot.

At the moment her gaze crossed through the layers of people and landed on the other person, a whistle “toot” sounded like a signal launched into her heart. The string in Xiang Yunchen’s heart was pulled taut along with the bow in the other girl’s hand, opening into a rounded arc. Thump—the arrow flew through the air.

In the fiery summer, the wind from the fans on the field lifted her black hair. The girl’s eyes were full of focus as she aimed at the distant bullseye. Two more arrows—whoosh, whoosh—were fired. She was very serious and very determined. Even just seeing that profile was a great encouragement to Xiang Yunchen. Xiang Yunchen took a deep breath, only reluctantly looking away when the referee called “Ready.”

“Toot—” The moment the whistle blew again, it was their group’s turn. Xiang Yunchen squinted her eyes to aim at the bullseye, casting aside all her previous thoughts and drawing the bow with an expressionless face. Behind her were the cheers of her classmates, but most weren’t for her; they were for the other teammate. That teammate was clearly struggling more than she was, starting with a five-pointer.

Yet the classmates outside were still patiently cheering for her partner. If one didn’t know better, they might have felt heartened by such a supportive class atmosphere. Xiang Yunchen tried her best to ignore those voices that were also ignoring her. She fired almost exactly as the time limit hit.

“8.5 ring, 7.8 ring, 10 ring!” The referee standing in front suddenly shouted with excitement. “Xiang Yunchen from Class 21 hit a ten!”

“Awesome!!”

After a moment of silence, there were excited cheers and shouts. But, as expected yet still somewhat logical, the ones cheering excitedly were the spectators from other classes. Her own classmates acted as if they hadn’t seen this honor she had personally won for the group; their expressions were either awkward or indifferent. Some even mumbled a few words to friends and left the field. After the referee declared her victory, Xiang Yunchen, who had advanced, instead looked like a loser, pushed once again to the edge of isolation.

The girl who had beaten her in the restroom had a flash of a smile. She hooked her finger and called a boy over to buy ice cream for everyone—the most expensive Magnum bars.

The sun was huge. The thin girl stood under the scorching sun without shade, looking as if she were about to melt. She licked her dry lips, nodded to the person who told her the time for the next round, and walked toward the empty shade with her head down.

She had already grown accustomed to this life of ostracization. That was, until someone tapped her on the shoulder. The unique scent of fresh laundry detergent mixed with the crisp fragrance of bluebell perfume wafted toward her. Xiang Yunchen turned her head and raised her gaze slightly.

Lin Chumu also looked down slightly, seeing those familiar yet strange beautiful eyes. Familiar because she knew clearly that the person acting with her was Lu Chaoqing; strange because, in the moment the girl saw her, her eyes suddenly transmitted an explosion of intense love—direct, clear, and hot enough to surpass all the temperatures and scenery of this summer.

When she took the ice water she handed over, she couldn’t help but grasp that hand, then immediately let go as if burned. Soft fingertips seemed to brush against the back of Lin Chumu’s hand as if by accident—a fine game of playing hard to get.