This was like getting a pillow just when you needed a nap.
Chi Yan sized up the young man who had spoken. His voice was soft, and he looked a little shy and reserved, but his gaze was firm—he seemed reliable.
With just one glance, Chi Yan decided to let him join their group.
“Take a seat first,” she said. “Can you introduce yourself?”
“My name is Xue Yi. I’m a second-year student at Jingdian University. My professor recommended me for this competition. But every time I tell other contestants I’m only in my second year, they refuse to team up with me,” Xue Yi said. “But don’t underestimate me—I may be in my second year, but I’m good at my major. Otherwise, my professor wouldn’t have sent me here.”
Xu Yi and Chi Yan exchanged a look. Xu Yi nodded at Chi Yan, signaling that she agreed to let Xue Yi join.
Chi Yan thought for a moment. The script she and Xu Yi had chosen only required three actors: the mother, the daughter, and the police officer mediating their conflict. Having Xue Yi play the police officer wouldn’t be a bad idea.
With her decision made, she immediately said, “Welcome to the team! But first, we need to find a place outside the dorms to go through the script together. Once we’re back in our rooms, we can practice our individual parts. How good are you at memorizing lines?”
Xue Yi visibly relaxed. “I can definitely memorize them in three days—no, two days!”
“Great. Have you had breakfast? If not, we can wait for you before heading out to discuss the script.”
“I’m already done eating. We can go now.”
Chi Yan appreciated how straightforward he was. “Alright.”
In the end, they decided to discuss the script in a small garden near the cafeteria.
The three of them sat around a stone bench under a pergola covered with grapevines. Chi Yan placed the iPad on the stone table and briefly explained the plot to Xue Yi and Xu Yi.
“Xue Yi will play the police officer, and Xu Yi will play the kidnapped daughter. If there are no issues, let’s start the script read-through.”
She paused, making sure they were paying attention, and then continued, “We can’t just focus on our own characters. We need to understand the entire story and the role our characters play within it…”
Once they got serious, time flew by. After reading through the script and getting a grasp of their characters, they quickly grabbed lunch.
In the afternoon, they practiced reading their lines out loud. After going through the script five or six times, an announcement suddenly played over the show’s PA system.
“All contestants, please gather at the lawn from yesterday. You will have thirty minutes to use your phones.”
“Let’s stop here for now,” Chi Yan said. “We’ll continue after dinner.”
Xu Yi let out a sigh, her voice weak. “This emotional transition is really hard. Even after reading the lines so many times, I still can’t find the right feelings.”
Xue Yi reassured her, “It’s our first time taking on a serious acting role. It’s normal to struggle at first—it’ll get better as we go.”
“Don’t stress too much,” Chi Yan added. “Even if we’re not great today, we’ll definitely get it right in a week. Keep going!”
“Yeah! Let’s fight hard so we don’t get eliminated in the first round!” Xue Yi’s motivation was kicking in too.
“Hearing you two say that… I actually feel a little hopeful now. Alright, let’s hurry and get our phones—I need my phone to survive!”
The production team was very strict with time. The thirty-minute phone usage period started the moment they were called to gather.
Contestants who arrived early were relieved, while those who arrived late could only groan in frustration.
Chi Yan estimated that their walk from the pergola to the lawn took less than five minutes. Including the time they spent talking earlier, they had about twenty minutes left.
The moment she got her phone, she opened WeChat, scanned through her messages, and clicked on the chat with her mom. She scrolled to the top and started reading.
Mom: Yan Yan, I’m watching your livestream at home! You were the sixth contestant to perform. So many viewers are sending comments saying they like you!
The next message read: Yan Yan, why did you make a bet with Yang Yueyi? And for a whole million?
Then today’s message: You woke up at five? Aren’t you tired? When you got up, the other contestants were still sleeping.
The latest one: Mom saw that you made some new friends. Keep up the good work!
For the first time, Chi Yan regretted making that bet with Yang Yueyi. She hadn’t expected her mom to be watching the show so closely, staying up to watch the livestream. Her mom must have been so worried when she saw her making a bet.
She quickly typed a long reply:
Chi Yan: Mom, don’t worry! I’ve got this under control! I just got my phone, and I can only talk for twenty minutes.
Her mom replied almost instantly: I know. I can see you typing on the screen.
Chi Yan immediately looked up, scanning for the nearest camera. Then she smiled directly into the lens.
Quickly, she typed again:
Chi Yan: Mom, I’m doing great, so don’t worry. My two teammates are really nice people.
Her mom responded: I saw you smile. I get it now. Keep going! I have something to take care of, so we’ll talk tomorrow.
Chi Yan: Okay, we’ll talk tomorrow.
In her WeChat inbox, she saw messages from unfamiliar classmates and even people she had no memory of adding as friends. Some didn’t even have saved names—she immediately deleted those messages.
After that, she took the initiative to message Yu Jingming:
Chi Yan: If possible, try to recruit Ye Jiawen. He’s quite strong.
After sending the message, Chi Yan noticed a message from Shen Chen.
Shen Chen: You’re really bold, huh? I wouldn’t dare make a million-dollar bet so casually.
She checked the system’s timestamp—only five minutes had passed before he sent another message.
Shen Chen: If you lose, I might consider lending you the money.
Chi Yan couldn’t help but chuckle and replied:
Chi Yan: Thanks, but I shouldn’t need it.
Shen Chen: So confident?
Almost as soon as she sent her message, Shen Chen replied.
Chi Yan: Of course.
“Time’s up! Hand in your phones!”
The staff had already prepared phone collection bags. Since Chi Yan had nothing more to say, she sent a final message to Shen Chen—“I’m handing in my phone now”—before placing it into the bag labeled with the number “66.”
“My brother scolded me,” Xu Yi looked utterly defeated. “He said I read the script with even less emotion than a school textbook.”
Chi Yan said, “It wasn’t that bad.”
Xue Yi muttered, “Xu Yi-jie, your reading should be at least a little better than a textbook. You don’t usually put any emotion into textbooks, right?”
Xu Yi fell silent, sulking to herself.
“Let’s grab some food, then continue practicing.”
This afternoon, Chi Yan felt that Xu Yi still needed a lot of practice, while Xue Yi had a solid foundation but lacked refinement. Their team needed to put in significant effort if they wanted to leave a lasting impression during the competition.
After a whole afternoon of practice, they were starving and ended up eating more than usual at dinner.
Xue Yi even said, “A full stomach makes for better work!”
By the time they returned to the pergola, it was already 7:15 PM. Summer nights meant more mosquitoes, and before long, Xu Yi and Xue Yi were covered in mosquito bites.
“I won’t go back with you!” Xu Yi recited her line, then hissed in frustration as she got bitten again. The mosquito bites made it impossible for her to focus.
Chi Yan glanced at Xu Yi’s dress and said, “Let’s head back for now. Tomorrow, make sure to wear long sleeves and pants—it’ll help prevent bites.”
Xue Yi responded with a quick “Got it” before jogging over to find the staff.
“Chi Yan-jie, Xu Yi-jie, I asked the crew if they had mosquito coils, but they said they didn’t prepare any. They’ll pick some up for us tomorrow when they go shopping.”
“That’s great! You’re so thoughtful!” Xu Yi praised him.
“Alright, you take the iPad back with you tonight. Sorry for making you copy down the lines.”
“It’s no trouble at all. I should be the one doing it.” Xue Yi smiled obediently.
Earlier in the afternoon, when they were discussing how to split their time for memorizing lines, Xue Yi had volunteered to copy down his lines that night.
“I write fast, and my lines are the shortest. While copying, I can also start memorizing. Besides, since you two live together, it’s more convenient for me to handle this.”
As he spoke, Chi Yan observed his expression carefully. Then she said, “If you’re sure about it, then you can copy them tonight. We still have a few days to memorize, so we can catch up later.”
And just like that, the decision was made.
—
Back in the dorm, as soon as You Shan saw them enter, she asked, “How’s your script selection going?”
Xu Yi, still unable to accept how they had been arguing yesterday and were now expected to discuss competition-related matters, simply glanced at You Shan before looking toward Chi Yan.
Chi Yan said calmly, “Since we’re competitors now, I don’t think my teammates would appreciate me sharing our script choice.”
You Shan let out a cold laugh. “Fine. I was going to help you refine your plot out of consideration for us being roommates, but since that’s how you feel, I won’t insist.”
Chi Yan suddenly felt a sense of exhaustion. These people were so full of themselves. She couldn’t wait to see their expressions after her performance—when these self-important individuals realized just how wrong they had been.
“Even though you didn’t actually help, I still appreciate the thought behind your offer. But we don’t need it. And besides, You Shan—we’re competitors.”
Hearing this, You Shan looked as if she was deep in thought.
This entire exchange happened just as Qi Kerong emerged from the bathroom.
Ignoring Chi Yan and Xu Yi, Qi Kerong turned to You Shan and said, “You Shan, some people just don’t appreciate kindness. You should stop wasting your time on them.”
“You—!” Xu Yi was so furious she almost started cursing, but Chi Yan stopped her just in time.
“Xu Yi, let’s not stoop to her level.” Chi Yan smirked coldly. “Like a dog catching a mouse—meddling where it’s not needed.”
As if they weren’t also capable of veiled insults.
Qi Kerong let out a sneer and glanced at them lazily before shifting her gaze away.
Her expression seemed to say that Chi Yan and Xu Yi weren’t even worth her attention.
Chi Yan felt like she was being challenged. Without hesitation, she summoned the aura she had cultivated in her past life while playing female lead roles—her gaze became sharp, her presence cold and commanding.
