“Very good.”
With this praise ringing in her ears, Li Chu left the room with light steps, closing the door behind her for Ning Manqing.
Li Chu, you’re amazing! Maybe this is what an unassuming little genius is like!
Li Chu praised herself inwardly while waiting for the elevator, feeling energized and almost ready to go on stage immediately!
Of course, that was just hyping herself up mentally. If she really had to go on stage, Li Chu felt she would still need a moment to be nervous.
Only after returning to her own room and closing the door did Li Chu finally let out the breath she had been holding.
She took another shower, changed into comfortable pajamas, and lay on the bed playing with her phone. She had returned around eight, and it was now just past ten. She thought it would take her much longer to find a good state, but unexpectedly, she had spent less than an hour in Ning Manqing’s room.
Having a good mentor on the path of learning truly yielded twice the result with half the effort.
Thinking of Ning Manqing, Li Chu’s thoughts began to stray.
She could actually feel that Ning Manqing was very good to her, whether it was speaking up for her on camera or proactively offering guidance just now. Moreover, Li Chu was certain this kindness was directed at her, not the original owner of the body.
Perhaps it’s the bond formed through intimacy, Li Chu thought jokingly to herself, referencing the saying “a night as husband and wife means a hundred days of kindness.”
Reviewing Ning Manqing’s actions throughout the day, Li Chu did have a fleeting thought: ‘Could she possibly like me a little?’ Maybe her pheromones were captivating, and Ning Manqing had developed a taste for her body?
Of course, this was just self-deprecating speculation. The thought merely circled in Li Chu’s mind before she dismissed it herself.
‘She likes me’ was practically one of the world’s most terrifying delusions, and Li Chu was exceptionally self-aware and disliked flattering herself.
Perhaps it was because Ning Manqing was just a particularly upright and responsible person. Plus, in the worldview of this book, Alphas had a natural protective instinct towards Omegas, especially their own. Since she had very considerately told Ning Manqing she didn’t need to take responsibility, Ning Manqing probably felt a sense of guilt towards her.
Thinking of guilt, Li Chu remembered that damned “Become O Water.”
Li Chu resentfully got up, drank a glass of water, and then lay back down.
Although she was adapting well to this world, she still missed her original world sometimes. Even though her relatives were gone, she still had a few good friends. She wondered how sad they would be upon receiving news of her death.
Li Chu had also tried summoning the system, but there was no response in her mind, as if mocking her for being a fool.
This was actually good news for Li Chu; at least no system meant she wouldn’t be subject to any restrictions.
Looking at her phone, Li Chu couldn’t resist typing Ning Manqing’s name into the search bar.
Ning Manqing was currently considered third-tier, with some recognition but not truly famous. She had some dedicated fans and many casual followers. On the homepage, Li Chu saw a video edit posted a month ago by the president of Ning Manqing’s official fan club.
She couldn’t help but click on it. The video was meticulously edited, encompassing almost all of Ning Manqing’s works since her official debut.
Ning Manqing had played many roles, even if some only had a few scenes. In the chronologically arranged edit, one could see Ning Manqing’s acting skills maturing, her control over emotions becoming more adept.
【She never wastes a single second of screen time; this is why I love her.】
This was the caption for the video edit. After watching it, Li Chu felt as if she, along with these fans, had fallen in love with the versatile and dazzling Ning Manqing.
Teacher Ning is amazing, sob sob sob. Li Chu was deeply moved watching the dedicated fans praise Ning Manqing, then accidentally clicked into one of their profiles.
@NingManChangQing: Lutou says that super annoying certain L-surnamed 18th-tier actress is on the same variety show as Sister. Seriously speechless. Hope she stops causing trouble and recognizes her place. A nobody who couldn’t do anything right when she debuted, yet insisted on using press releases to drag my Sister down. Hope she leaves the entertainment circle soon.
Li Chu wondered which cannon fodder character was trying to leech off the female lead’s popularity, then saw her own reflection on the phone screen.
Oh, so it’s me!
Well, leaving the entertainment circle was impossible now; she could only disappoint these little darlings.
Li Chu then searched for herself. Hmm, the situation perfectly matched that of an 18th-tier actress – very few active fans.
Her previous Weibo posts, except for those related to her first movie, had all been deleted by Tang Congnan after he learned about her differentiation, telling her to start fresh.
Li Chu hadn’t decided what to post, so she hadn’t posted anything yet.
She currently had no intention of posting a makeup-free selfie at night, her mind blanking for a moment.
Her finger hovered over the search bar, wanting to look up the current situation of the book’s male lead.
Li Chu paused her typing. Speaking of which, what was the male lead’s name again?
That was a good question. Li Chu stared at the search page, lost in thought. She had considered searching for the male lead a week ago, but couldn’t remember his name then either. The more she tried, the less she could recall, so she decided to put it aside, thinking it might come to her naturally later.
As a result of putting it aside, she forgot.
More than a week later, she still couldn’t remember.
She truly was a heartless reader.
She vaguely remembered the male lead was an overbearing president – a standard trope. He was also the Alpha whose pheromones perfectly matched the female lead’s. However, now that the female lead had also become an Alpha, she wondered if he had undergone a sex change or if the two would just be good buddies in the future.
Beyond that… Li Chu tried to drain the water from her brain, but she couldn’t recall much else. In short, it involved face-slapping and sweetness.
While reading, she had hailed it as a divine romance; after finishing, she promptly forgot all about it.
Li Chu gave up searching. Just then, Tang Congnan called, offering his usual series of comforting inquiries.
He had already called earlier in the day after the casting draw. He had been quite despairing upon learning the role Li Chu got, but told her to act well and that it didn’t matter even if she messed up.
“It’s okay, Brother Nan. I think I’ve had an epiphany. Even if the score isn’t high, I probably won’t embarrass myself.”
“It’s alright, baby. Just act boldly, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. This variety show is just to give you some initial exposure. I’m already looking for new scripts for you. We’ll start with a campus idol drama. It doesn’t matter even if you get eliminated, just relax.”
Tang Congnan ended up comforting Li Chu, afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle the psychological pressure.
Li Chu thought, So this is what a ‘male mom’ is like? Love it.
After talking with her ‘male mom’, Li Chu put her phone aside and closed her eyes peacefully.
Today was another diligent and fulfilling day.
The next morning, the 《The Female Overlord》 subgroup met again in the practice room to run lines.
“Xiao Chu, did you secretly get extra lessons behind my back?!”
Chen Ying was astonished upon seeing Li Chu’s performance.
What’s going on, friend? Yesterday our progress was the same. Why have you made such rapid progress overnight, leaving me alone here, bewildered???
“I practiced a bit more when I went back last night. Had an epiphany, had an epiphany.”
Li Chu replied shyly, not mentioning Ning Manqing. It was their tacit understanding.
“Is this what Omegas are like? I’m so jealous.”
Chen Ying was openly envious, sighing before continuing to delve into his own performance.
Li Chu, meanwhile, worked with Ning Manqing on polishing the latter part of the performance, striving for improvement.
It was during this break that Li Chu finally voiced the question she had yesterday.
“Teacher Ning, why did you come to participate in this variety show? Weren’t you supposed to start filming a movie recently?”
Li Chu had wanted to ask this yesterday, but never found the right moment. Last night, she was too excited about her breakthrough after being coached and completely forgot about it.
Although she couldn’t recall many plot points from the original book at the moment, Li Chu remembered that after differentiating, the female lead started with movies. She went directly to film a movie – the very resource the original owner had planned to drug her to obtain.
“Your information is quite good, but not quite up-to-date. Wipe your sweat.”
Ning Manqing handed her a tissue. Li Chu took it naturally, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and waited for Ning Manqing to continue.
Ning Manqing: “That script was more suitable for a Beta or Omega to play.”
Li Chu felt a little sad hearing this. She had no intention of being the butterfly whose flapping wings caused a storm far away, but she had no choice.
If she could do it over, she wouldn’t drink that water, but she also wouldn’t become the catalyst for Ning Manqing’s differentiation.
For a moment, Ning Manqing thought Li Chu was blaming herself, but then felt that emotion was absurd. She figured Li Chu was feeling regretful for her .
Ning Manqing was incredibly softened by her expression. Without much thought, she said comfortingly, “I still have many opportunities.”
The faint scent of Cloud Mist tea enveloped Li Chu along with the gentle words. Li Chu looked up and met Ning Manqing’s confident gaze.
“Of course! Teacher Ning, you’re so outstanding, you’ll have plenty of opportunities. You’ll become incredibly famous, reaching a peak that everyone looks up to.”
Li Chu nodded vigorously, wishing she could perform the one hundred and eight styles of blowing rainbow farts on the spot.
It was only then that Li Chu realized some surging emotions couldn’t be conveyed through the pages of a book. For instance, at this moment, she was certain she would watch Ning Manqing’s star-studded journey soar straight to the heavens.
She was so certain, the light in her eyes seemed dazzling to Ning Manqing. Scalding emotions churned in her chest, making even her exhaled breath carry a hint of heat.
Ning Manqing remembered this scene for a long time. In every future low point, she would recall this day, climb out of the trough, and then regret countless times that, in this moment, she had merely feigned nonchalance and said:
“Thank you.”
