“Thank you, Teacher Ning.”
Li Chu reacted quickly, immediately thanked her politely, and entered the elevator.
There was no one else in the elevator, only Li Chu, Tang Congnan, Ning Manqing, and Ning Manqing’s agent, Ran Yanru. Li Chu very naturally stood a bit apart, putting a significant distance between herself and Ning Manqing.
Ning Manqing watched this distance from the corner of her eye but didn’t say anything.
“Sister Yanru, Teacher Ning.”
Tang Congnan also greeted them. In terms of seniority and status among agents, he couldn’t compare to this second-in-command from another major company, so he had to greet them politely when they met.
Ran Yanru nodded. No one spoke in the elevator; the atmosphere was cold.
Of course, this was how the two agents felt; Li Chu didn’t feel that way.
The scent of pheromones became increasingly distinct in the enclosed space. That faint, elusive fragrance of Cloud Mist tea seemed to slowly solidify, climbing up between her legs.
It passed over the texture of her skin, slipping under the hem of her pleated skirt.
Li Chu couldn’t help but look up, only to find that Ran Yanru, who should have been able to smell the pheromones as an Alpha, seemed completely unaware, as if she couldn’t smell the pheromones of her own kind in the elevator.
Li Chu was a bit puzzled. As she was about to retract her gaze, she met Ning Manqing’s eyes.
Some emotion flickered in those beautiful eyes, seeming to ask her what was wrong.
Li Chu shook her head, lowered it, and unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes.
Judging by Ning Manqing’s appearance, she didn’t seem to be releasing pheromones either. So why could Li Chu smell them? Was it a physical illusion?
If Li Chu hadn’t kept her gaze fixed on the floor but had looked at the elevator doors instead, she would have seen a pair of smiling eyes reflected in them.
Ning Manqing lowered her eyes, sniffing the faint peach scent, and watched the numbers change on the elevator display.
Although the elevator ascended at a decent speed, Li Chu inexplicably found it hard to endure. Only when they reached the destination floor did she breathe a sigh of relief.
She waited until Ning Manqing and Ran Yanru had exited before stepping out herself, slowly following behind and keeping her distance from them.
The wind blew away the faint pheromone scent. Once the distance increased, the smell completely vanished.
“Are you hot?”
Tang Congnan looked at Li Chu’s face, which had turned from pale to pinkish-white, and fanned her with his hand.
“Maybe it was a bit stuffy in the elevator. I’m not hot.”
Li Chu shook her head, mentally rehearsing the opening lines she needed to say when the recording started.
The people walking ahead were also talking. Ran Yanru had always been confident in her friend’s abilities, so she didn’t give any specific instructions, merely telling her she would be busy with another artist’s schedule next.
“Call me if anything comes up.”
“Mm,” Ning Manqing nodded. Just as Ran Yanru was about to turn and leave, Ning Manqing called her back, “Did you smell anything just now?”
Ran Yanru asked back, somewhat confused, “What smell?”
“Nothing. Call if you need anything.”
Ning Manqing hid her thoughtful expression and shook her head at her agent.
“Okay.”
Tang Congnan only escorted Li Chu to the door, telling her to contact him first if anything happened. Li Chu’s ears were practically calloused from hearing this phrase, but she wasn’t impatient. She nodded once more and waved at the fatherly Tang Congnan.
A staff member at the door indicated they needed to record a segment where she opened the door and introduced herself alone, as well as film some interview questions. Li Chu made an ‘OK’ sign, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open with a smile.
After completing all the above segments, Li Chu met the other five replacement actors who had come together.
Three women and two men. When they introduced their secondary genders, Li Chu almost didn’t react in time.
“I’m Ming Xi, a Beta. I know you. I watched The Carrier Pigeon that you starred in with Teacher Ning. It was amazing.”
This was another girl. She enthusiastically shook Li Chu’s hand, easily winning people over.
“I’m Li Chu, an Omega. I know you too. The role you played in The General was also stunning.”
Li Chu exchanged official compliments with her. She had watched many films in class these past few days, and the teacher had even made her do character analyses. The General was one of them. Ming Xi played the third female lead, and Li Chu had even considered how she would play the role if it were her.
When Ming Xi heard her say she was an Omega, her smile faded slightly, then became brighter again, but there was a hint of fakeness in it. Li Chu saw through it but still kept the corners of her mouth upturned, only brightening somewhat when she saw Ning Manqing.
The remaining two men were both Betas. One was a newly debuted, next-generation idol with a large following, and the other was a thirty-year-old actor often cast as the second male lead in TV dramas, jokingly nicknamed “Second Male Lead Specialist” by everyone.
After the five greeted each other, they started chatting about the upcoming recording, like what kind of roles they hoped to draw and which ones they didn’t.
Ming Xi was playfully making wishes, becoming the center of the conversation. Li Chu said a few words and then didn’t speak much, because she suddenly realized Ning Manqing seemed too close to her.
Just moments ago, she had clearly been sitting at the other end of the sofa, but sometime, somehow, she had moved closer to her side, leaving only the distance of a leg between them.
The faint scent of pheromones distracted Li Chu. Taking advantage of everyone else not paying attention, she secretly took a couple more sniffs, thoroughly enjoying it.
“What about you, Li Chu? Who do you most want to partner with?”
The topic suddenly shifted to her. Li Chu hadn’t yet pulled her thoughts back together and blurted out without thinking, “Teacher Ning, of course.”
The older “Second Male Lead Specialist,” Teacher Zhao Pei, gave a teasing “Oh.” After all, Li Chu being an Omega and Ning Manqing an Alpha was quite a hot topic.
Li Chu had no intention of creating CP hype with the female lead. She immediately explained, “This is my first time participating in this kind of show. The teachers are all very skilled, and I’m afraid I won’t perform well and drag them down. If I collaborate with a teacher I’m familiar with, I might be a bit more relaxed.”
Her makeup today already had a rather girlish feel. Her long, straight black hair made her face look even fairer. When she smiled, she looked sweet and soft, innocent and well-behaved, full of sugary charm.
Zhao Pei watched her smile and smiled along, saying, “Your appearance is quite suitable for idol dramas. Haven’t you acted in any before?”
“Right. I used to like challenging myself, but it turned out I didn’t perform well in any of them.”
Li Chu practically had the word “regret” written on her face. Her look of deep remorse and belated regret made Zhao Pei laugh even harder.
However, this was also something Li Chu found strange. She saw her own face, including in those film and television works, but she always felt a sense of incongruity. As Zhao Pei said, her appearance leaned more towards campus idol dramas, which didn’t match the original character’s image in the original novel at all.
But things like transmigration and differentiation were already illogical, so Li Chu pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind.
“What about Teacher Ning? Is there anyone you’d particularly like to collaborate with?”
Ming Xi subtly pulled the focus back to herself and then shifted it away again. Everyone’s gaze turned to Ning Manqing.
“Everyone here is a wonderful actor. I would be honored to collaborate with any one of you,” Ning Manqing praised everyone. Just as people were about to smile at her diplomatic words, she changed tack, “However, I would also prefer to collaborate with Teacher Li Chu. We’re more familiar with each other, so perhaps the collaboration would go more smoothly.”
Everyone knew Ning Manqing was saving face for Li Chu. In this show, Ning Manqing had collaborated with more than just Li Chu; there were several teachers who had been there since the first season, including one she had worked with on a critically acclaimed movie just a few months ago. Wasn’t she more familiar with them than with Li Chu, whom she’d worked with two or three years ago?
“Teacher Ning, please don’t call me that. I can’t bear it. Just call me by my name.”
Li Chu quickly waved her hands, saying somewhat flusteredly.
“Alright, Xiao Chu.”
Ning Manqing agreed with a smile. Although she said the name generously and naturally, the movement of her lips added a touch of lingering affection.
Li Chu nodded in acknowledgment, crying wildly inside.
The female lead is too nice! She even spoke up for her in front of the cameras! This is what they call ‘a night as husband and wife means a hundred nights of kindness’—ah, no, is this a living Bodhisattva!
The five of them chatted about the topic for a while longer. The production team, probably seeing they had enough footage to edit, brought the lottery container into the room.
Inside the container were the roles for the plays. Those with higher scores from the previous two episodes’ summary got to draw roles first. The five replacement actors would choose last. After role selection, everyone would form teams based on the play. The production team had also deviously set up a segment where roles could be swapped if both parties agreed.
There were only five balls left in the container. Li Chu actually knew the chances of being in the same group as Ning Manqing were slim and didn’t hold out much hope. She picked a ball after Ming Xi finished drawing.
Ning Manqing was the last one to pick. Everyone displayed the paper slips with their roles from the balls.
Li Chu’s slip read: 【Han Tao, The Female Overlord 】
Ning Manqing’s slip read: 【Ling Yun, The Female Overlord 】
Li Chu said in pleasant surprise, “Teacher Ning, we’re in the same group!”
Ning Manqing nodded, the corners of her lips slightly raised.
Ming Xi: “Wow, that’s such a coincidence! What are the odds you’d end up together?”
Li Chu exclaimed, beaming with joy, “This must be fate!”
Li Chu thought gleefully, Thank you Buddha, Bodhisattva, Jade Emperor, Jesus! Devotee Li Chu’s ten pounds of flesh are yours for the taking anytime!
But when the teams gathered and Li Chu finished reading the scene she was supposed to act, she couldn’t smile anymore.
Because Han Tao was a famously charming courtesan who had Ling Yun’s husband utterly captivated.
Li Chu tried to flash a sexy smile in the mirror, but only felt like a delinquent young woman about to be pixelated and handcuffed away.
