After lunch, Chi Yan and Xu Yi went back to rest for a while before heading to the practice room.
No one else had arrived yet; only Ye Jiawen was there.
As it neared two o’clock, everyone started showing up one after another, with Yu Jingming arriving right on time.
“Since everyone is here, I won’t say much. I have an idea for the script. Take a look.”
As he spoke, Yu Jingming took a USB drive from his pocket and plugged it into the practice room’s equipment.
Everyone sat casually, eyes fixed on the big screen.
“This is the script summary.”
Cheng Yu asked, “Director Yu, did you write this yourself?”
“Yes, I originally prepared three scripts for you to choose from, but last night, I decided we’ll use this one.”
The script is set in the future, where aliens discover Earth and plan to start an interstellar war. However, they are persuaded by a human delegation to abandon the war and instead pursue a path of mutual cooperation. The climax of the story centers around the negotiation scene.
Yu Jingming explained, “In my script, the key figures in the negotiations include humanity’s most esteemed diplomat and general, as well as the alien queen. I want Ye Jiawen to play the diplomat and Chi Yan to play the queen.”
Xu Yi and Cheng Yu had no objections. They knew their own strengths and didn’t try to compete for the role.
Lin Shan raised her hand and asked, “Director Yu, can I challenge for the role of the alien queen? When I advanced last time, I played a female CEO, so I think I might be more suitable for this role than Chi Yan.”
Yu Jingming glanced at her and said, “This is a group competition, so the opinions of all five of you are important. Since you brought it up, you and Chi Yan can each perform a scene, and the others will decide. Xu Yi, if you’re interested…”
“No need,” Xu Yi quickly said. “I believe the role you picked for me is the one that suits me best.”
Yu Jingming continued, “Cheng Yu, if you want to play the diplomat, you can act out a scene with Ye Jiawen too.”
Chi Yan had been silent the entire time. Now, she finally spoke, “Director Yu, I have an idea. I’d like to swap roles with Ye Jiawen.”
Ye Jiawen looked at her in surprise. “You mean we switch genders?”
Yu Jingming considered the feasibility of this plan—it wasn’t impossible.
“But before that, I’ll perform a scene against Lin Shan first. If she does better, she can play the queen. If I do better, I hope to swap roles with Ye Jiawen.”
Ye Jiawen said, “If you win, I’ll agree.”
He could already imagine the stir it would cause if he and Chi Yan switched roles—it would definitely trend online. Wearing a dress? He’d just have to make a sacrifice for the sake of art.
Lin Shan said, “Alright, I agree.”
“Xu Yi and Cheng Yu, do you have any objections?” Yu Jingming asked.
“Nope.” Xu Yi shook her head vigorously.
Cheng Yu, on the other hand, said, “I really want to see Ye Jiawen in a dress.”
Since no one objected, Yu Jingming asked Chi Yan and Lin Shan who wanted to go first.
Chi Yan was indifferent—she didn’t mind whether she went first or second. “Either way.”
“I’ll go first. I’ll act out how I see the queen.” Since Lin Shan had asked to switch roles, she felt she should take the initiative.
Lin Shan stood in the center of the practice room, her expression serious as she stared at a blank wall.
She spoke to the air, “What did you say?”
After a brief pause, she suddenly erupted in anger. “I will not abandon my people! I am the queen! My duty is to repel the enemy, not to be a coward who flees!”
Chi Yan evaluated her performance—it was decent, but it lacked a defining highlight.
“Alright, Chi Yan, your turn,” Yu Jingming said.
Chi Yan stepped into the center of the practice room. Simply standing there, her entire aura shifted.
With a blank expression, she looked at the empty space in front of her and said coldly, “Useless! You can’t even handle such a trivial matter?”
She lowered her gaze slightly, sweeping her eyes across the floor as if looking at mere ants. Then, she let out a disdainful “hmph” and turned to leave.
Lin Shan watched Chi Yan’s performance in silence. In the end, she clenched her fists—she knew she had lost, without a doubt.
Chi Yan seemed to radiate a natural queenly presence. This scene alone had completely overshadowed her.
Yu Jingming clapped his hands. “Both of you did well. Now, the rest of you can decide.”
Everyone turned to look at Chi Yan.
“Chi Yan acted better than I did,” Lin Shan admitted. “Let Ye Jiawen play the queen.”
And just like that, the decision was made.
Cheng Yu would play the general, while Xu Yi and Lin Shan would be the queen’s personal guards.
After finalizing the roles, Yu Jingming didn’t waste any time and immediately handed out five copies of the script.
“All of you have the same script. Everyone’s lines are in there. You need to memorize your own lines and also be familiar with everyone else’s. If anyone messes up during practice, don’t blame me for being strict.”
Chi Yan and the others listened carefully.
“Oh, and one more thing—the ‘20 into 10’ round won’t be a live performance. Instead, we’ll film it in advance and play it on the night of the competition. The audience will then vote for their favorites.”
Cheng Yu raised a concern. “If we’re filming it in advance, does that mean we don’t actually have two full weeks?”
Yu Jingming nodded. “And since our script involves interstellar settings and requires special effects, I’m giving you ten days to finish filming. Editing and post-production will take four days.”
“This script has so many scenes, and we only get ten days to film it,” Xu Yi groaned. “Might as well just kill me now…”
“Memorize your lines quickly. Filming starts tomorrow, so go home and practice well tonight.”
Xu Yi was utterly despairing. She asked, “Why is this script so long? How am I supposed to memorize all of it?”
“This time, there are only four performances. If the duration is too short, the production team won’t be able to put together a proper show,” Yu Jingming explained.
Ye Jiawen added, “It’s good to have a challenge. In a real film crew, there won’t be any room for complaints. Let’s get familiar with our lines now and rehearse together later. Otherwise, we’ll be completely lost when filming starts tomorrow.”
Everyone agreed.
They threw themselves into preparations, while the audience watched with great interest.
“This is insane! I’m so looking forward to Ye Jiawen in drag!”
“Chi Yan, as expected of you! Always coming up with the most brilliant ideas!”
“Supporting our queen! This gender-swap is going to be so interesting! I’m also excited to see her as the diplomat!”
After seeing the online discussions, the chief director instructed the filming crew, “Avoid showing too much of Chi Yan’s group’s private rehearsals on the livestream. If we reveal everything now, what’s the point of the actual show?”
As a result, for the next few days, viewers could only see the closed doors of the rehearsal room. Frustrated, they flooded the comments section, criticizing the production team for being stingy with the footage.
Chi Yan’s group had never worked together before and had no prior chemistry. During their afternoon script run-through, they repeatedly stumbled over their lines, which took a toll on their confidence.
“Why can’t I even get through my lines? What am I going to do?” Xu Yi was frustrated. She was the least experienced among them and kept falling behind.
Chi Yan patted her shoulder and reassured her, “Don’t rush. The more anxious you get, the worse it will be.”
Ye Jiawen checked the time and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s all go eat. Chi Yan and I have a commercial shoot tonight, so we won’t be able to join the evening practice. We’ll try to get back as early as possible.”
The group went to the dining hall together.
Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen ate quickly, then left with the staff to head to the filming studio.
When the commercial director saw them, his eyes lit up. He said, “You two have the perfect natural conditions for this—definitely have the potential to go viral.”
He then explained the action and lines to them before starting the shoot.
Initially, the director thought they would need multiple takes to get into the right groove since they were both newcomers. However, both Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen had an excellent on-camera presence, and their performance was impressive from the start.
The director was confident that this commercial would trend.
“Not bad, not bad at all! You two don’t look like newbies at all,” he praised. The shoot wrapped up quickly, and he was in a great mood, chatting with them more.
Ye Jiawen smiled, “I filmed a commercial in my second year of university, so I have a bit of experience.”
“I’ve acted before too,” Chi Yan added, keeping her explanation simple.
The director quickly made sense of it. “Ah, so you did a costume fitting for a drama before? That explains it.”
Chi Yan nodded in acknowledgment.
The commercial had a simple, classic storyline.
It started with a young boy riding a bicycle, giving a girl a lift to school. Later, it transitioned into adulthood, where the same man was driving the woman to work. The final edit would include close-up shots of the car, with some special effects added in post-production.
After changing their makeup and outfits, Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen embodied completely different vibes. Their acting was commendable, perfectly capturing the contrast between youthful innocence and mature familiarity.
“I asked my assistant to get you two some bubble tea. Take it with you, and I hope we can work together again next time,” the commercial director said with a smile as he saw them off.
Chi Yan and Ye Jiawen accepted the drinks from the assistant, thanked the director, and left with the production staff.
On the way back, Ye Jiawen suggested, “It’s still early. The others are probably still in the practice room. Let’s go there after we get back.”
Chi Yan agreed. Since the commercial shoot had ended quickly, they still had plenty of time to rehearse that night.
Both of them silently finished their bubble tea in the car.
When they returned to the practice room, Xu Yi, Cheng Yu, and Lin Shan were indeed still there. They were all sitting separately, fully focused on memorizing their lines. The sound of the door opening didn’t even make them look up.
Not wanting to disturb them, Chi Yan whispered to Ye Jiawen, “Let’s sit separately and memorize our lines first. We can rehearse together later.”
Ye Jiawen nodded. He casually pulled out a chair for Chi Yan near the door before taking a seat a bit further away himself.
The five of them sat scattered around the room, each lost in their own world, completely immersed in their work.
No one knew how much time had passed when Cheng Yu’s smartwatch suddenly started ringing. He panicked and fumbled to turn it off, but the more anxious he got, the harder it was to silence the alarm.
Everyone turned to look at him. Cheng Yu’s face flushed red with embarrassment.
“Is everyone ready? Let’s do a full run-through. Filming starts tomorrow, so we need to build our chemistry quickly,” Ye Jiawen said once Cheng Yu had finally turned off the alarm.
Lin Shan and Chi Yan both said they were ready. Xu Yi hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
Cheng Yu answered with action—he stood up, walked to the center of the practice room, and gestured for everyone to join him.
At first, everything went smoothly, but every time Cheng Yu had to respond to Ye Jiawen’s lines, he struggled to keep a straight face.
Ye Jiawen grew frustrated. “Can you take this seriously? At least show some respect for your role and for acting itself.”
His words were harsh, and the previously lighthearted atmosphere in the practice room suddenly became tense and silent.
