Li Chu heard Chen Ying call her name. She waved goodbye to Ning Manqing, like a light breeze blowing past her.
Chen Ying asked Li Chu to come over and rehearse lines with him. The protagonist of this film was Ling Yun, so in this scene, the main conflict also revolved around Ling Yun. However, there was also interaction between Duan Rui and Han Tao.
It was short. In simple terms, it was the scumbag and the mistress showing off their affection in front of the original wife.
This part wasn’t difficult to act; the two just needed to pile on the maliciousness. After they finished, Chen Ying asked Li Chu to play Ling Yun and rehearse the earlier scenes with him.
“Why not ask Teacher Ning?”
Li Chu gestured towards Ning Manqing with her chin. She was just a line-reading robot; having Teacher Ning do it would likely yield better results.
Chen Ying shook his head vigorously, like a rattle drum. “I don’t dare. Don’t you think she’s fierce? Not exactly fierce, but intimidating. Her aura is very intimidating.”
“Teacher Ning? Intimidating?” Li Chu was shocked, almost slamming the table. “She’s so gentle!”
Li Chu gestured emphatically, stressing the degree of gentleness.
Chen Ying pondered for a moment and said, “Maybe she’s gentler towards Omegas. After all, she’s an Alpha.”
“That’s not it at all. Teacher Ning isn’t the type to discriminate based on secondary gender. Maybe it’s because she’s so skilled that you feel pressured? Or perhaps the character you’re playing naturally feels guilty when facing her character?”
Li Chu staunchly defended Ning Manqing’s reputation. She didn’t believe Ning Manqing was that kind of person.
It was also possible that Chen Ying didn’t know Ning Manqing well, which was why he found her difficult to approach. But Ning Manqing was clearly so understanding, gentle, polite, and incredibly respectful.
Chen Ying felt Li Chu had a point and nodded. “Maybe.”
Regardless, the scene still had to be performed.
The third day was the official performance day. They were the third group to perform.
Li Chu was initially a bit nervous, but when she met Ning Manqing’s steady gaze, her heart settled somewhat.
After finishing the recording for this episode, Li Chu saw Tang Congnan waiting for her in the car.
“Finished recording? How’s the ranking? It’s okay if it’s a bit lower, there’s still one more episode. We can still fight for it. If worst comes to worst…”
His inner ‘mom friend’ surfaced, with the familiar nagging.
“Tenth.”
Li Chu reported her rank, interrupting Tang Congnan’s quiet rambling.
After each episode’s recording, the rankings for that episode were announced immediately, leaving no suspense. This let the artists know how precarious their position was on the show and also helped generate buzz.
After all, the pairings for the second episode were random. It was possible for the first-place contestant to be paired with the last-place one, and the scores for being guided and carried could look much better.
“If worst comes to worst, we’ll just pack… Tenth!”
Tang Congnan’s voice suddenly shot up, startling Qian Duoduo sitting beside him.
“Kiddo, you’ve really made it!”
Although Tang Congnan knew Li Chu would improve, and he knew about the enhancement of talent after differentiating into an Omega, he still found it hard to believe when it actually happened before his eyes.
After all, the previous Li Chu truly seemed like a lost cause. Tang Congnan had signed her full of hope back then, focusing solely on managing her, only to be greatly disappointed.
Not only did she not improve her acting, but she also thought highly of herself, got lost in the initial hype, and even felt she could compare herself to many others.
“Brother Nan, calm down. Control your tear ducts.”
Seeing her ‘mom friend’ getting teary-eyed, Li Chu quickly handed him a tissue.
Tang Congnan coughed lightly twice, forcing back the tears, then looked at the schedule and said, “I’ll send you back first. There’s an audition for the female lead in a campus drama next Monday. I’ll pick you up then.”
“Okay,” Li Chu nodded in agreement, then paused for a moment and asked, “Just this one?”
Don’t think she didn’t understand the industry. She used to be partially in the circle too. Logically, she shouldn’t only have these resources.
“There are others, but I turned them down. Good ones might attract criticism given your current popularity, and bad ones aren’t suitable. We don’t need that quick money. For the decent ones, we can wait a bit longer. Let’s see the effect after the show airs, then follow up with marketing. Our value can increase then.”
Tang Congnan glanced at Li Chu’s expression as he spoke, hoping she would understand his painstaking efforts and not throw a tantrum.
“I understand. Thank you, Brother Nan.”
Tang Congnan was a steady agent with good planning skills. Although Li Chu knew Tang Congnan wasn’t primarily profit-driven, she still worried slightly that he might rush to build her fame and do things that clashed with her principles.
Now, she felt relieved and mentally acknowledged that her ‘mom friend’ was the best.
Li Chu boarded the plane. Upon returning home, she received an electronic file from Tang Congnan. It was a story outline. Tang Congnan told her to study it carefully and watch related films and TV shows in the coming days to flesh out the character.
The story featured a classic AO pairing. The female lead, a little Omega, was a cute sweetheart with a ponytail. The day before school started, she encountered an Alpha who was injured in a fight. She fell for the pheromones emanating from the Alpha’s blood and began her pursuit.
It was worth noting that the Alpha protagonist’s secondary gender was female. Li Chu’s first reaction upon reading the description was to think it was a girls’ love drama. Then she suddenly remembered that in the eyes of people in this world, this was a very normal gender pairing. Only two Alphas or two Omegas together would be considered same-sex.
Li Chu finished reading the outline and mentally sketched out how to portray the female lead. When her stomach growled, she got up to look for food.
Li Chu didn’t bother her assistant and ordered takeout herself. Looking at her dwindling account balance, her heart ached faintly.
Although daily expenses like utilities, transportation, and styling were covered, she hadn’t had any income for a long time.
She absolutely had to get that role, to earn money! To order more expensive and delicious takeout!
Feeling fired up, Li Chu opened her computer and started writing a character analysis. She wrote intermittently for a short while before her phone rang.
“This delivery is quite fast.”
Li Chu was pleased and picked up her phone, only to see the caller ID was Tang Congnan.
“What’s up, Brother Nan?”
Tang Congnan was silent for a long moment before speaking. “Kiddo, there’s a reception later tonight. I’ll come pick you up.”
“But I can’t drink. Can I not drink?”
“It’s best if you don’t. I’ll cover for you. Don’t dress up, preferably go bare-faced. No, wait, put on heavy makeup, so heavy your face isn’t clear. Ah, that won’t work either. Just do something casual, don’t be too eye-catching.”
Tang Congnan finished speaking hesitantly, his voice tinged with obvious frustration.
Li Chu understood. Tonight’s reception definitely wasn’t simple.
Li Chu probed indirectly, “Who’s hosting it?”
Tang Congnan’s tone became even more difficult to describe. He said, “The big boss.”
Li Chu quickly looked up the company’s boss on Baidu Baike. He was an Alpha in his forties who looked respectable enough in his photo.
Li Chu understood Tang Congnan’s predicament. She thought for a moment and said, “Brother Nan, I’ll go. But don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Worst case scenario, we’ll just switch companies together. I’m sure someone would be willing to poach me and pay the termination fee.”
Li Chu added, “Don’t worry, don’t forget me when you’re rich and famous. I definitely won’t forget to bring you along!”
Tang Congnan was initially anxious and angry, but Li Chu’s reversed comforting made him chuckle, followed by a long sigh.
The president had just flown back from abroad and announced he was hosting an “excellent employee award reception” for everyone to eat and drink together. But he specifically requested Li Chu’s presence, and Tang Congnan couldn’t refuse.
Although their president wasn’t excessively lecherous, he had his fair share of romantic scandals. Tang Congnan tried to get information from the president’s secretary, but the secretary’s meaningful words sent a chill down his spine.
After hanging up, Li Chu went to prepare. She didn’t deliberately dress up, nor did she apply heavy makeup as Tang Congnan suggested. However, she did apply several thick layers of foundation, deliberately added extra highlighter, and applied eyeliner and eyeshadow clumsily, making her face look cakey and greasy, with a muddy makeup look. Her features were the same, but the overall impression was completely different.
Li Chu looked at herself in the mirror with satisfaction. She still had the skills.
After doing this, she took out her phone, intending to add a final safety measure for herself.
【Xiao Chu】: Teacher Ning
【Xiao Chu】: QAQ
【Xiao Chu】: I’m a little scared
After being guided by Ning Manqing, Li Chu had completely abandoned her previous idea of not clinging to the female lead’s coattails. She was determined to cling to this thigh!
Teacher Ning was her walking sense of security!
Shoutout and huge thanks to Mikash for picking up the complete EPUB book on the Ko-fi shop! Really appreciate the support!
