It was a moment that made her very soul tremble, as if her body had turned into a flower, forcibly stripped of all its defenses, revealing its most fragile part to be lightly bitten.
The pheromones receded like a tide. Li Chu’s senses could no longer detect the scent, but her mind seemed to retain the feeling.
“Sorry, I overstepped.”
Ning Manqing’s soft voice sounded in her ear. Li Chu dazedly looked at the mirror, fogged by her breath. She hesitantly reached out a finger and wiped away the thin mist.
The rounded fingertip had a faint pink hue, like a peach blossom. Ning Manqing watched the slender fingertip climb upwards, leaving a trail on the misty mirror, revealing a pair of glistening, watery eyes in the interplay of blur and clarity.
The line of the slightly trembling finger inexplicably brought a line of poetry to her mind.
The maid helps her up, lovely yet weak.
“I overstepped just now.”
Ning Manqing said apologetically, her throat bobbing as her voice grew deeper.
“It’s okay, you were just teaching me. I think I understand a little now. I’ll go memorize my lines!”
Li Chu shook her head, looking like she completely trusted Ning Manqing. She straightened up and quickly ran to another corner with her script.
The rehearsal room wasn’t large, but with only three people, it felt quite spacious. Li Chu faced the corner, her back to the camera, appearing to read her lines but actually hiding her blush.
Why do I get flustered so easily? Omegas being so sensitive to… that … is really unfair, Li Chu grumbled inwardly. I kind of felt like Teacher Ning was being a bit improper just now, but Teacher Ning doesn’t seem like the type to take advantage or act improperly, especially in front of the camera.
This teaching method was actually quite effective. She kind of understood what “desire in the eyes” felt like now, much better than just staring blankly before.
Li Chu couldn’t help but raise her hand to touch the gland on the back of her neck. The bite mark Ning Manqing had left there was long gone, but she still touched it uneasily before collecting her thoughts and starting to familiarize herself with the lines.
Watching Tao Tao’s diligent back, Ning Manqing slowly retracted her gaze and looked towards the Beta sitting on the other side, completely unaware of what had just happened. She walked over.
Having taught one, she should offer some guidance to the other as well.
Li Chu quickly memorized her lines. Han Tao didn’t have many lines, mostly concentrated in the first half. Later, when Duan Rui and Ling Yun argued, she didn’t have much to do. She only needed to persuade Duan Rui a bit when he threatened suicide, and then there were the final lines begging for mercy.
“Please let me go… I’ll be obedient… I’ll testify for you, say he killed himself by accident… it had nothing to do with you…”
Li Chu faced the mirror, brewing her emotions, her voice carrying a hurried and fearful tremor. She frowned, feeling the emotion wasn’t full enough, the pauses weren’t right, so she recited it again several times.
“Please let me go… Please… I’ll be obedient… Tsk, still not right.”
Li Chu shook her head, patted her cheeks, and pinched her throat, trying to make her voice thinner and sound weaker.
She put on headphones and repeatedly watched the original movie clip. The actress playing Han Tao was a famous sexy star in the entertainment industry; even her begging carried a seductive charm. Even as a woman, watching her made one’s heart soften; if it were a man, probably no one could resist. But the actress playing Ling Yun decisively picked up the dagger and plunged it into the beauty’s heart.
Thinking that Ning Manqing would also stab her like that, Li Chu felt a chill in her heart and continued mimicking the lines from the original film.
“Please… let me go…”
Li Chu continued muttering, begging until she almost felt numb.
An Alpha’s hearing is excellent. Ning Manqing, four or five meters away from Li Chu, used her script to hide the smile at the corner of her lips. Listening to Li Chu repeatedly recite the lines starting with “Please” in a trembling voice, she found it quite amusing.
She sniffed the faint peach scent lingering in the air, thinking of those fair, soft arms wrapped around her neck, those hurried, soft cries of “Please”… The smile on her face faded, her eyes reflected in the mirror dark and deep.
Li Chu remained unaware, completely absorbed in memorizing her lines.
Although the recording for the new episode was a full week before the broadcast date, considering the production team needed time for teasers and editing, and to put pressure on the actors and prepare them for unexpected situations, there were only two days between drawing lots and performing.
Everyone worked hard, no one slacked off. After drinking water and eating dinner, they began reading lines together.
Both Li Chu and Chen Ying struggled to get into character. But they focused on getting the lines down first and would figure out the rest later.
Ning Manqing took a moment to prepare and then slipped into character. Even without makeup or costume, with the same face and not even a prop door in front of her, her object work conveyed a chilling aura that made Li Chu and Chen Ying pause.
“You… What are you doing here?”
Chen Ying blurted out, stealing Li Chu’s line order.
Han Tao was supposed to speak first in this part, but Ning Manqing didn’t stop them, so Li Chu quickly followed.
She leaned against Chen Ying, looking provocatively at Ning Manqing, and spoke in a soft tone, “Who is this, barging in like this? My boat never welcomes female guests. If you wish to become sisters with me, I’m afraid your looks are… somewhat lacking.”
Ning Manqing didn’t answer, merely looking down imperiously at the seated man.
After about a minute, Chen Ying still hadn’t spoken. Li Chu couldn’t help but tug at his sleeve.
“I forgot my lines. Teacher Ning’s gaze is too scary.”
Chen Ying said with a pained expression, not even calling her Sister Manqing anymore, following Li Chu in calling her Teacher Ning.
He wanted to say his lines, but Ning Manqing’s aura was too powerful. When she pretended to kick the door open, that look had already frightened Chen Ying. While Li Chu leaned bonelessly against him reciting her lines, Ning Manqing’s gaze made him feel like he was already dead.
He didn’t even have time to feel happy about the Omega leaning on him, sob sob sob.
After four or five attempts like this, Chen Ying finally managed to stumble through his scene with Ning Manqing. He very efficiently stabbed himself with the non-existent dagger, then fell to the ground and closed his eyes peacefully, his heart filled with relief.
Although Teacher Ning wasn’t impatient, her gaze kept getting colder and more terrifying, sob .
It was Li Chu’s turn. She secretly pinched herself to make her face pale, then knelt on the floor, looking up at the woman standing a few steps away, her body trembling.
Li Chu had been afraid she wouldn’t be able to get into character, but upon seeing Ning Manqing’s eyes, she instinctively recited her lines.
“Please… let me go… I won’t say anything. I’ll testify for you, say you’re innocent, that he ran into it himself, it has nothing to do with you. Please, let me go.”
She spoke faster and faster, even adding some of her own words. As the shadow fell over her, she trembled like a leaf.
Her upturned neck looked like helpless prey awaiting slaughter. A cold hand grasped her neck, pulling her body forward, then slowly tightened.
This wasn’t in the original script. Chen Ying stopped playing dead on the floor, propping his head up to watch, somewhat bewildered.
Li Chu was also stunned. She struggled instinctively but realized her neck didn’t hurt at all.
They were very close, their breaths mingling. The faint, almost non-existent Cloud Mist Tea pheromone scent seemed to solidify slightly due to the proximity. In the shadow enveloping her, Ning Manqing’s eyes curved into a smile as she released her.
Cool fingers brushed across the soft neck as Ning Manqing lowered her hand to her side.
“You scared me to death, Teacher Ning! Why did you suddenly change the scene?”
Li Chu recovered, touching her neck as she asked.
Matching her somewhat puzzled expression was her soft, harmless aura, drifting sweetly in the air.
“In the original book, Han Tao was strangled to death by Ling Yun, not stabbed. And Duan Rui didn’t die by accident; he was directly killed by Ling Yun. The movie plot was changed.”
The movie had Duan Rui kill himself accidentally to downplay Ling Yun’s cold-bloodedness, but to show Ling Yun’s ruthlessness, they had Han Tao killed by stabbing.
Chen Ying had an epiphany: “Oh, so that’s how it was! Teacher Ning, you’ve really done your homework!”
“So, when we perform it, should we change this part too?”
Li Chu also felt that strangling was harder to act than stabbing, but the character tension would likely be stronger.
“No need, we’ll still use the dagger.”
Ning Manqing shook her head. To act out the strangling convincingly, she’d have to use some force, and she didn’t want Tao Tao to suffer through that.
As for what she did just now… she had momentarily indulged herself, but no one would know.
Ning Manqing’s smile softened further. She said, “Xiao Chu, your performance at the end just now felt good. But the beginning part still needs some work.”
“I’ll keep working hard!”
Having received affirmation, Li Chu felt like a happy little bird, thinking she could do it now, ready to stare into the mirror another eight hundred times.
Chen Ying sneakily asked, “Sister Manqing, what about me? What about me?”
Ning Manqing’s expression changed instantly, coldly stating, “Practice more. You don’t need to be so over-the-top when you die.”
“I’ll go for the realistic approach.”
Chen Ying lay back down on the floor and performed an on-the-spot death.
“Pfft hahaha.”
Li Chu was amused by him, calling it a great trick.
At this moment, they had no idea this segment would be edited into the teaser by the director and tagged by viewers.
#TeacherNingsDoubleStandards# #RuthlessNingManqing# #AskingForHumiliation#
Chen Ying had another engagement that evening, so they decided to meet again tomorrow to practice.
Li Chu and Ning Manqing took the same elevator downstairs. Both their assistants were present, so neither spoke. They went to their respective cars.
The screen of the phone Li Chu was holding lit up. She saw it was a message from Ning Manqing.
【Teacher Ning】: Where are you staying tonight?
【Xiao Chu】: Yunru
Li Chu had flown in for the show recording. Tang Congnan had booked her a large, private hotel not far from the TV station.
【Teacher Ning】: Me too. Room 1602. Come find me tonight, I’ll go over the scene with you. Your state in the beginning part is still not right.
Li Chu knew. She had originally planned to consult her acting coach tonight anyway. She really struggled to portray seductiveness.
【Teacher Ning】: If you’re worried, you can leave the door open.
Li Chu teared up. What an upright person!
That description seemed a bit strange… What kind of living Buddha was this!
【Tao Tao】: Okay, wait for me.
Ning Manqing’s lips curved slightly upwards as she took a sip of the peach juice beside her.
