Black Gold Entertainment was far more lavish than Fu Yu Entertainment, and employee benefits were better too. Hu Yi had booked Li Chu a room on the sixteenth floor, coincidentally the same floor as Ning Manqing. This time, Li Chu wouldn’t even need to take the elevator back and forth to ask Ning Manqing for guidance.
“Teacher Ning, I’ll go back to my room to wash up first, then I’ll come ask for your guidance.”
Li Chu still felt a bit unnaturally sticky down below. She wanted to deal with it before asking Ning Manqing about the scene.
“Okay, just knock on the door when you’re ready.”
After watching Ning Manqing enter her room, Li Chu quickly returned to hers. Qian Duoduo had already hung up the clothes from the suitcase and placed the pajamas on the bed. Li Chu grabbed the pajamas and headed to the bathroom, thinking how thoughtful her little assistant was. When she got rich, she would definitely give her a raise!
Thinking of money reminded Li Chu of her debts. Feeling choked up inside, she entered the bathroom, tied her hair into a bun, turned on the water, and started showering.
The comfortable hot water rinsed every inch of her skin. Li Chu inevitably recalled what happened in the car, touching the slightly raised gland on the back of her neck, thinking about this world’s pheromone settings.
Although free love was advocated now, many people still used genetic matching to find partners. The higher the genetic match, the higher the pheromone compatibility.
Higher pheromone compatibility meant that during an Omega’s estrus or an Alpha’s susceptible period, the partners could provide better mental comfort to each other, making it easier for them to fall in love and remain loyal.
In the original book, Ning Manqing and that male lead whose name she couldn’t remember were a 100% compatible match made in heaven. Such odds were extremely low, perhaps only one pair in thirty million people.
For ordinary people, a compatibility rate of over 80% between partners was already considered very suitable.
Li Chu lathered herself with soap, thinking that now the female lead might just end up being “good brothers” with the unknown male lead, so perhaps things wouldn’t follow the original plot.
But Ning Manqing had become an A. What if the male lead was an O? Li Chu let her mind wander, then thought about herself and Ning Manqing.
Her sensitivity to Ning Manqing’s pheromones seemed quite high. Li Chu momentarily forgot about lathering up, feeling a surge of excitement.
Could it be that she was the female lead!
Good heavens, a staple of transmigration stories! According to typical transmigration novels, she should be the female lead number one!
The female lead was bound to be all-powerful. Li Chu thought about what she could actually do.
It seemed like… nothing much. Forget it, she’d just keep showering.
Li Chu contentedly resigned herself to being a salted fish. She wasn’t someone with grand ambitions; living happily was her greatest goal. She had no desire to become a top star, nor did she aspire to be universally adored. Just living her own life well and contributing to society within her capabilities was enough!
As for her sensitivity to Ning Manqing’s pheromones… perhaps it was because she had been marked by Ning Manqing before, and her body remembered.
Li Chu genuinely felt that Ning Manqing deserved someone better.
After happily finishing her shower, Li Chu took the gift she had prepared for Ning Manqing and knocked on her door.
Ning Manqing still left her door ajar. They were both in suites; entering revealed a small living room before reaching the bedroom. There weren’t many guests on this floor anyway, others wouldn’t intrude impolitely, and the soundproofing was good, so leaving the door open wasn’t a concern. Even if paparazzi managed to sneak in, they wouldn’t dare write malicious things.
Ning Manqing wasn’t someone who liked to stir up scandals. Although many in the industry used such methods to maintain popularity, she was definitely not one of them. She also didn’t want Li Chu to be tainted by any negative speculation because of her.
“Sit. What would you like to drink?”
“Water is fine,” Li Chu sat on the sofa, accepted the water Ning Manqing brought over, and then handed over the small box she was holding. “Teacher Ning, this is a thank-you gift for you. Thank you for saving me last time.”
“That’s something any decent person would do.” Ning Manqing didn’t refuse Li Chu’s gift, accepting it and placing it on the table. She advised Li Chu, “This industry is treacherous. Beauty and gender can attract people with ill intentions. You need to be careful and protect yourself well.”
“Okay! I’ll definitely be careful!”
Seeing Li Chu’s obedient response, Ning Manqing resisted the urge to pat the young woman’s head and got down to business.
“I know what your role is. Where do you feel your performance is off?”
“The scene where the Eldest Princess gets angry with Bai Su. I always feel my performance lacks impact.”
The role Li Chu had drawn this time was an Omega Eldest Princess.
The Eldest Princess had married the Tanhua (third-place scholar) of that year’s imperial examination. The Tanhua came from a poor background but was diligent, ambitious, and a handsome Alpha. At the time, everyone thought they were a talented man and beautiful woman, a match made in heaven, and the Eldest Princess herself believed so too.
However, after several years of marriage, the Eldest Princess realized her husband didn’t love her; he only desired power and influence. Being proud, she planned to divorce him. But just then, the court fell into turmoil. The emperor suddenly died of illness, and her several Alpha younger siblings fought fiercely for the throne. She wanted her own younger sister, the Fifth Princess, to ascend, so she suppressed her desire for divorce and struck a deal with her husband, binding their fates together through mutual interests.
After two years of mutual struggle, the Fifth Princess successfully ascended the throne, and the former Tanhua was appointed Right Chancellor. Divorce was, of course, impossible now. The Right Chancellor had also taken several concubines by this time. Annoyed, the Eldest Princess moved to live in a separate residence.
But the political struggles were far from over; with the new emperor’s ascension, everything was just beginning. In the second year of living separately, the Eldest Princess met a man she liked, a Beta.
Although he was a Beta, his looks and talent were first-rate. His name was Bai Su.
Bai Su was the illegitimate son of a Marquis. The Eldest Princess treated him exceptionally well, but precisely because of this special treatment, the princess’s enemies targeted Bai Su. The Eldest Princess felt extremely guilty, but Bai Su didn’t blame her and even risked his life to save her during a crisis.
The Eldest Princess resolved to secure a position for Bai Su. She didn’t want people in the capital to gossip about him being her kept man; she wouldn’t allow anyone to belittle him. So, she asked the Empress for an opportunity for his official promotion.
The scene Li Chu and the other two actors were to perform was what happened next.
Bai Su refused the opportunity offered by the Eldest Princess and stated that he wanted to leave the capital.
Incredulous, the Eldest Princess asked him why. He replied that he had someone he loved and just wanted to take them far away from the turmoil. The Eldest Princess nearly went mad. She asked Bai Su if he didn’t love her. Bai Su fell silent, mentioning their difference in status, but the Eldest Princess understood that wasn’t the real reason.
She realized it had all been her one-sided affection. Bai Su had never asked her for anything, had politely refused her advances, and had always maintained propriety in their interactions. She understood he might have felt something for her, but it wasn’t enough to overcome his determination to leave.
Li Chu pulled up the clip and watched it with Ning Manqing. Ning Manqing asked her to perform it first.
“I’ll act opposite you. Let’s do it here.”
Ning Manqing moved the table and chairs slightly. She lowered her head for a moment, and when she looked up, she delivered Bai Su’s lines.
Li Chu got into character, performing the segment she had repeatedly practiced during the day.
The Eldest Princess’s shock, anger, madness, sadness, despair—she threw a teacup, her chest heaving violently as she looked at the man she loved, her expression slowly turning cold and hard.
“Get out! For the rest of your life, don’t you ever appear before me again!”
It took Li Chu several minutes to slowly come out of character. She calmed her breathing and waited for Ning Manqing’s guidance.
“The basics are there, but it is indeed lacking something. The emotion isn’t quite enough.”
“Not enough sadness? Or not enough anger?”
Li Chu had tried several approaches. She couldn’t quite pinpoint whether the princess felt more anger from the betrayal and abandonment, or more despair from losing this person.
Ning Manqing shook her head. “Not enough love.”
Li Chu was stunned. “Love?”
“All her negative emotions towards Bai Su,” Ning Manqing explained, “are built upon her positive emotions for him.”
Ning Manqing tapped her finger on the phone screen, where the Eldest Princess wore a cold expression, yet anyone watching could sense her utter desolation.
It was like a sudden awakening. Li Chu’s eyes lit up.
Right, it was because she loved him, relied on him, that she felt such pain, that she broke down.
“Love makes one wish them life, hate makes one wish them death. But ultimately, love prevailed. Otherwise, she would have killed Bai Su and the lover he spoke of, or perhaps locked Bai Su up. But in the end, she decided to let him go.”
Li Chu understood now, unconsciously excited, looking at Ning Manqing and waiting for her confirmation.
“Correct.”
Ning Manqing looked at her with approval. Li Chu beamed, her eyes disappearing into her smile.
“Once more. Look at me and get into character. I am Bai Su.”
“Look at me. Think in your heart, you love me .”
Ning Manqing’s low voice was exceptionally clear in the night, capturing Li Chu’s gaze, pulling her into the emotion.
Shoutout and huge thanks to Aggressv for picking up the complete EPUB book on the Ko-fi shop! Really appreciate the support!
