The scenes where the audience voted were filmed with the host and some extras against a green screen, then edited with special effects. Li Chu and Ning Manqing didn’t need to worry about those during their parts.
They were currently standing in front of the green screen, filming segments of the reality show’s backstage.
This reality show had two participation modes: one with faces revealed, and one anonymous. While many participants were in it for the money, many weren’t. Some wanted a novel experience, some wanted to test their relationships, some wanted to rekindle passion, some wanted to truly understand their partners… In short, the reasons were varied. So, for those who didn’t want anyone but themselves to know they were participating, the company offered an anonymity option.
Couples who chose to reveal their faces had increased betting odds, and even if they weren’t successful, they’d receive a consolation prize. Fu Yuan and Lin Lang were in it for the money, so naturally, they chose to reveal their faces.
Besides the choice of anonymity, the company also offered a memory erasure service. Not everyone achieved their ideal outcome in the world, and many couples ended up breaking up after the challenge. So, the company offered this service. If couples still wanted to stay together, they could choose to erase their memories of the reality show.
Of course, Fu Yuan and Lin Lang didn’t need this service yet, so they just nodded without further comment.
This was actually foreshadowing. Li Chu knew that later, Fu Yuan would struggle. She would want to forget those feelings, to force herself to see the true nature of her marriage. But in the end, she wouldn’t do it. If she did, she would be destined to forget many things, and everything she currently had would change drastically. She and Lin Lang would no longer be the model couple in others’ eyes.
Compared to freeing herself, Fu Yuan chose to maintain this life. She couldn’t give it up, because this was exactly what she had fought so hard to obtain.
Li Chu and Ning Manqing filmed the early preparatory scenes for Fu Yuan and Lin Lang smoothly. After Zhou Xinyuan said “Cut,” they moved to the next set.
Before the official mental connection, the organizers would give the couples a few minutes for private communication. Fu Yuan and Lin Lang were no exception.
Before lying down in the data pod, Lin Lang looked at Fu Yuan and said, “I will find you.”
Lin Lang wore the special black metallic suit required for entering the data pod. Her legs were long, and the way she leaned against the pod and spoke softly gave people a sense of trustworthiness.
Li Chu, playing Fu Yuan, whose character was gentle and calm with shoulder-length hair, smiled and nodded in response.
“I believe you.”
Off-camera, Qian Duoduo rubbed her hands together excitedly like a fly.
“So sweet! It looks like a sweet romance drama.”
Yuanzi nodded in agreement. “It is quite sweet.”
Yuanzi was ostensibly employed by Li Chu as her assistant, but she actually received two salaries. She was also a bodyguard hired by Ning Manqing. She knew some inside information. Sometimes, when Li Chu and Ning Manqing couldn’t meet conveniently, certain necessary items, like the Yan Meng necklace, passed through her hands.
She was quite happy for these two stars who could date on the company’s dime, no longer needing to act as a long-distance delivery girl.
Standing beside them, Tang Congnan, having read the script, let out a knowing sneer, thinking these youngsters who found it sweet were still too naive. They knew nothing about Li Chu. He had painstakingly picked so many sweet scripts for her, but Li Chu insisted on taking this bittersweet, glass-shard-filled drama.
However, it was quite miraculous that this drama, which initially had little investment, suddenly secured funding from Juxing Pictures.
Juxing Pictures was a rather mysterious film investment company in the industry. It never seemed to limit itself to any particular genre, and its boss wasn’t fond of social gatherings or interviews. Juxing Pictures invested in all kinds of films, from art house to commercial, and could easily jump from investing in a comedy to a sci-fi film.
The films Juxing invested in rarely flopped. Even if a film didn’t make money, or even lost money, it would still gain a good reputation. Die at Dawn and Dusk had Juxing behind it as its biggest investor.
With the funding in place, the filming naturally became easier.
While Tang Congnan was pondering these things, Li Chu was already filming later scenes against the green screen, the scenes after emerging from the mental connection. To save on manpower, resources, and finances, the filming was fragmented. Li Chu and Ning Manqing had already spent several days filming in front of the green screen.
In the script, although the reality show audience had three choices, the director couldn’t actually hold a vote while filming the drama. So, the script Li Chu held showed storyline A: the Eldest Princess and the Regent.
Creating a palace with special effects was too expensive. It was better to rent a proper historical drama set. Zhou Xinyuan had already made arrangements, and Li Chu and the others would be moving to the new location tomorrow.
Tang Congnan had originally planned to accompany Li Chu to the new set, but he received a call and had to return to Yunzhou for business.
“The car leaves at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Make sure she gets up early and doesn’t miss the bus with the rest of the crew. Prepare breakfast for her before she wakes up. No milk and sandwiches. Go buy her some porridge. Got it?”
Tang Congnan carefully instructed Qian Duoduo and Yuanzi, like a mother hen fussing over her chick.
“Don’t worry, Brother Nan, I’ll take good care of Sister Li.”
Qian Duoduo nodded, and Yuanzi echoed her agreement.
“Don’t worry, Brother Nan, I’ll also take good care of myself.”
Li Chu looked at her mother hen with gratitude, cheering inwardly.
Hooray! The guardian is finally leaving! This 23-year-old girl can finally have some fun with her girlfriend and mess up the sheets!
Tang Congnan was unaware of his disobedient daughter’s thoughts. He was used to her rebelliousness, so instead of smiling, he glared at her.
“I don’t expect you to take care of yourself. Just don’t cause me any trouble.”
“OK, OK.” Li Chu gestured. What trouble could she cause? At most, just play a few little tricks.
Like the dirty talk she had been looking forward to. Woohoo, time to take off!
The mother hen flew away, not taking a single cloud with him, but taking away his disobedient daughter’s restraint.
Li Chu had already removed her makeup and was about to change clothes when the two assistants walked out the door.
Yuanzi said, “Duoduo, I’ll watch over Sister Li tonight. I’ll go buy porridge and wake her up tomorrow morning. You can sleep in. It seems like you haven’t been resting well lately. You can come over after I wake her up.”
Qian Duoduo was happy at first, then felt a little bad. “That’s so kind of you.”
“It’s okay, it’s also my responsibility. And you need to be well-rested to take better care of Sister Li.”
Yuanzi smiled, not telling the whole truth. The truth was too embarrassing to say. She had a premonition that she might find the big boss in the second boss’s room tomorrow. The second boss was Li Chu, and the big boss was Ning Manqing.
If she guarded the door, the big boss wouldn’t have to sneak away. A double-salaried employee was just that thoughtful.
For convenience, the production team had arranged rooms for the two leads across from each other.
As soon as Ning Manqing opened her door, she was embraced. She lowered her head, inhaled the peach scent, and ruffled Li Chu’s soft hair.
“You’re finally here. My wife’s not home tonight. Come in quickly.”
Li Chu pointed to the bed in the room, winked at Ning Manqing, and on a whim, set up a role-playing scenario. There was no helping it. The way they were acting was just too much like having a secret affair.
Others had the neighbor next door; she had Lao Ning across the hall.
Ning Manqing froze for a second, then caught on. With her excellent acting skills, she quickly got into character.
Ning Manqing’s fingers landed on the bow at Li Chu’s collar, sliding down along the warmth. Her eyebrows raised slightly, and the smile that curved her narrow fox eyes shed her usual gentleness, adding a touch of mischievousness.
“Seems like your wife didn’t satisfy you. Don’t worry, there’s still me.”
Although it was a statement, the slightly upturned tone at the end was like a hook, tugging at one’s heartstrings.
Li Chu was a little unsteady from her girlfriend’s different side. She looked left and right, not daring to meet Ning Manqing’s eyes, looking like she was about to break character. But she still forced herself to continue.
“Then you’d better hurry. If my wife comes back, we’re done for.”
“Hurry?” Ning Manqing leaned closer to Li Chu and said with feigned innocence, “I’m not as useless as your wife.”
Li Chu: “…….”
There’s no need to get so into character! How could you be so ruthless as to even insult yourself?
The interplay between good actors was never peaceful, but always a splash of turbulent waves. It was either the east wind prevailing over the west wind, or the west wind prevailing over the east wind, resulting in a seemingly calm yet intensely stimulating confrontation.
In terms of acting skills, Ning Manqing was far superior to Li Chu. After all, when Li Chu started out, she was Ning Manqing’s student, and still was.
Li Chu remembered how Ning Manqing had taught her acting step by step, and now it was no different, truly hands-on. Li Chu wanted to break free, but couldn’t. Like a helpless student in front of her teacher, she was forced to follow the teacher’s pace and learning progress.
“…Manqing… I can’t…” Li Chu’s eyes welled up. The leap in knowledge was beyond her previous experience, too advanced for her, and she couldn’t bear it.
“Of course you can. After all, you’re so thirsty for knowledge. I’m afraid even your wife and I together wouldn’t be able to fully satisfy your thirst for learning. Isn’t it just right to fill yourself up?”
Ning Manqing wasn’t a qualified teacher. A true teacher guided their students, but she didn’t. She controlled her, coaxed her, and forced her, like the omnipresent cloud mist tea pheromones, intoxicating and addictive.
These were just veiled. In the dim night, many thoughts were revealed openly. Li Chu thought Ning Manqing was truly capable. She had mastered all the knowledge points from the long posts Li Chu had sent from her alternate account, and could even adapt her words to the situation.
Dirty talk wasn’t just about vulgar language and degradation, but a straightforward expression of desire, tearing away certain pretenses and amplifying other things in a humid environment. It allowed the breadth of one’s thoughts to spread freely in an unrestricted space, allowing oneself to become anyone or anything.
To be the wind, the rain, the petals on the window, a tool, an animal. And in such whimsical fantasies, there was often a mark of ownership or exclusivity.
Li Chu didn’t know if it was like this in other people’s fantasies, but it was for her.
Compared to this, the feigned deep immersion in character was truly hard to resist, making Li Chu somewhat regret her initial playful remark.
“Who’s better, me or your wife?”
Ning Manqing leaned on Li Chu’s shoulder, hugging her from behind. Her warm breath brushed against Li Chu’s skin and dissipated into the air, bringing the unique humidity of summer.
Li Chu cried. She sobbed, “My wife is better.”
Actually, she had already answered this question once. She had chosen the first option, so Lao Ning next door had channeled her wife and started a self-entertaining scene of catching her in the act. This time, she cautiously chose the second option, but Lao Ning herself got angry.
Li Chu complained, “There’s no choice at all!”
“Yes,” Ning Manqing said with a smile, rubbing her little cutie, “From the moment I entered the door, you had no choice.”
Li Chu realized through a night of tears that Teacher Ning was truly a schemer, but she loved these schemes.
The constantly running air conditioner dispelled the summer heat. This was perhaps one of mankind’s saving graces, but sometimes physical coolness couldn’t compare to the heat generated by human movement, creating a unique humidity.
Li Chu, languid and panting, looked at the moonlight outside the window. The multi-fibered moonlight was like longing that could be folded into lotus leaves. She couldn’t help but smile, remembering a poem she had once read.
Ning Manqing lay beside her, drinking half a glass of water. Water droplets trickled down the corner of her lips, reflecting beautiful light in the moonlight.
Li Chu lay sideways on the bed, propped up on her elbow, and recited Yu Guangzhong’s poem to Ning Manqing with a smile.
The multi-fibered moonlight is a bit fluffy,
Then fold a wider lotus leaf,
Wrap a piece of moonlight back,
Back to be tucked in Tang poetry,
Flat, like pressed lovesickness.
It was extremely beautiful and romantic, as if the night was immersed in the sounds of strings and woodwinds. The voice of the poem-reciting lover was also gentle, with a hint of husky laziness.
Ning Manqing’s consciousness was given the command of love. At this moment, she thought of nothing but one sentence:
— I love her.
Dense and crowded, these thoughts jostled and pressed close together in her mind.
The moon was beautiful tonight, and her lover was as graceful as ever.
Li Chu hadn’t slept well the night before. After washing up and hastily eating breakfast, she caught up on sleep in the car.
She thought she would sleep for a long time, but after a little over an hour, she was fully awake. They were still on the road. Li Chu used this time to look over the script and memorize her lines.
Before filming began, Zhou Xinyuan briefed Li Chu and Ning Manqing.
“After the memory replacement begins, most people will freeze for a moment. The more perceptive ones will feel suspicious, but that suspicion will be unfounded. You don’t need to act suspicious because this first script is the closest to their original personalities. The sense of unfamiliarity and suspicion should wait until the second script.”
Zhou Xinyuan explained a few other points to note, and briefly mentioned the two characters’ settings. After Li Chu and Ning Manqing nodded, they officially began filming the first life.
The first life was Eldest Princess Lin Lang and Regent Fu Yuan.
The company understood that reality shows needed to have a hook. If it were just two ordinary people, it wouldn’t be attractive. So, they would set up various status differences. But these status differences were definitely not enemy scenarios, otherwise it would greatly increase the difficulty of the challenge, and the challengers wouldn’t agree to it.
So, the script would have status differences, but there would also be various coincidences that would bring the challengers together, and then it would depend on whether they could spark love.
The background setting was as follows: In this dynasty, gender differentiation occurred at the age of twelve. But when the king of this country suddenly died, Eldest Princess Lin Lang was only eleven. It wasn’t certain she would differentiate into a Tiangan, and the ministers didn’t dare to gamble. At this time, someone was needed to act as regent.
The king’s sixteen-year-old Tiangan sister, Fu Yuan, became the obvious choice and ascended to the supreme position.
When Fu Yuan’s consciousness was transferred, the body was already twenty-one years old, five years after she became regent. The Eldest Princess was now sixteen. She had differentiated into a Tiangan four years ago. The Regent ostensibly intended to make her the emperor, but in reality, she still held the power in her own hands.
The Eldest Princess refused to become emperor, saying she was incapable and not up to the task, acting like she admired her aunt and hoped she would take the throne. At the same time, she used her own influence to pull strings, in short, refusing to ascend to the throne. Because the Eldest Princess knew that if she became emperor, she would only be further controlled.
Many people didn’t know the truth and thought it was the Regent who controlled the court and prevented the Eldest Princess from ascending. The public had a very negative opinion of the Regent, and even various satirical poems emerged, blaming all natural and man-made disasters on the Regent, insinuating that she was the cause of the unstable dragon vein.
There must have been someone instigating these situations behind the scenes, and the Regent knew who was responsible.
She was disgusted by the Eldest Princess, but couldn’t show it openly. She could only urge the Eldest Princess to ascend the throne while her own reputation declined.
“Little Aunt, why are you talking to me about this again? I know I’m dull-witted, not even one ten-thousandth as intelligent as Little Aunt. Those ministers are truly ignorant. Little Aunt is also a member of the royal family, why can’t you take the throne?”
Lin Lang sat in her chair, looking indignant, but when she lifted her teacup to drink, a sneer appeared on the corner of her lips.
“Alang, you’re being silly again. It was only because my brother fell that I took on this responsibility in a time of crisis. Now that Alang has grown up, it’s time for you to learn how to govern this vast land.”
Fu Yuan said disapprovingly, looking at Lin Lang as if she were looking at a naive child.
But they both knew the truth. One was a cunning fox with hidden motives, the other a wolf cub feigning obedience, both hoping the other would die soon.
“There’s a report about banditry in Jiangnan, suspected collusion between officials and bandits to exploit the people. Alang, go and gain some experience. If you do well, don’t be so modest anymore.”
Fu Yuan was smiling, but her eyes were icy, without a trace of warmth. Once Lin Lang left the capital, many things would be beyond her reach. There was banditry in Jiangnan. If the Eldest Princess were to meet with an unfortunate accident, there was nothing that could be done.
Even if she didn’t succeed, if Lin Lang handled this matter well, she would have no reason to claim incompetence upon her return and would have to ascend the throne. If Lin Lang handled it poorly, then the Eldest Princess’s reputation for being unfit to rule could be spread. Then, who would be most suitable to be emperor would be obvious.
Lin Lang also thought of this. She pressed hard on the armrest and stood up from her chair.
“Little Aunt is truly thoughtful, always looking out for me.”
Lin Lang was only sixteen, but already half a head taller than Fu Yuan, looking down at her good aunt.
“You’re the child I watched grow up. I have no children of my own, so naturally, I cherish you the most.”
Fu Yuan looked at Lin Lang, her aura not diminished even though she was looking up.
Zhou Xinyuan wanted to highlight the interactive nature of this drama, so when designing this reality show company, she had already set up various encounters for the couples to interact, and the choice of these interactions was determined by the reality show’s audience.
Please choose the next scene branch for them:
1. The Eldest Princess stays in the capital 【Map: Capital】
2. The Regent goes south together 【Map: Jiangnan】
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