Chapter – 55
Song Chengmu was very surprised. He had completely lost hope in Qin Shiye’s acting before, but after resuming shooting today, Qin Shiye gave him a huge surprise. Not that her acting had suddenly become excellent, but at least it was no longer awkward and felt much more natural.
Song Chengmu didn’t think that simply revising the script could account for such an improvement. Could it be that a master had guided her?
However, he quickly realized that he might have celebrated too soon.
Qin Shiye performed fine in solo scenes and with other actors, but as soon as she acted opposite the male lead, her performance immediately regressed, and she had already flubbed the scenes countless times.
This couldn’t entirely be blamed on Qin Shiye. Last night, the person she acted opposite was Lin Qingyi—talented, female, beautiful, gentle, and considerate in the script—perfectly fitting Qin Shiye’s ideal for a romantic partner, sparking in her a genuine desire to fall in love.
But now, facing the male lead, Qin Shiye felt no romantic desire whatsoever and even found herself on the verge of outright dislike.
The male lead, Zhong Rui, was a newly popular rising star. Compared to someone like Qin Shiye, who had been a major star for years, his status was far lower. Most popular young actresses and male idols of this kind generally weren’t great actors. Zhong Rui’s acting was only slightly better than what Qin Shiye had been before. His appearance was acceptable, but when paired with the visually commanding Qin Shiye, it simply wasn’t enough—it didn’t match.
Having just acted opposite a top-tier actress like Lin Qingyi, suddenly switching to a young male idol was jarring. After the comparison, Qin Shiye couldn’t help but dislike Zhong Rui’s acting. Add to that the fact that he was male—completely outside her aesthetic preferences. Even if she could acknowledge his looks, compared to Lin Qingyi, they were simply not in the same league.
Qin Shiye felt she had become too picky. Her acting had just “escaped poverty,” and now she was finding faults with others. But she concluded it was mostly because the male lead wasn’t to her taste. If the co-star were beautiful, she would have immersed herself in the role, but now she couldn’t help frequently breaking character.
At this very moment, Zhong Rui was massaging her ankle. Instead of feeling the shy, flustered reaction she had had the previous night, Qin Shiye felt only repulsion, even wanting to kick the man away to the ends of the earth.
She decided she didn’t want to act in romantic dramas with male leads anymore; female-female pairings would be better. The problem was, the market for female-female romance wasn’t as big as male-female, so no one hired her for those dramas—probably because her high fee didn’t make it profitable. Qin Shiye figured she could lower her fee for a female-female drama, but since she wasn’t short of money, she wouldn’t act under such stressful conditions.
She also blamed Lin Qingyi’s excellent acting last night. Originally, she might not have disliked Zhong Rui so much, but once you’ve experienced a luxury car, who can settle for a rusty bicycle?
Under this mindset, Qin Shiye couldn’t generate on-screen chemistry, nor could she produce the sweet, romantic atmosphere required for an idol drama.
Even director Song Chengmu could feel Qin Shiye’s visible dislike toward the male lead. He thought, It’s just acting, why is her dislike so realistic? Previously, even though her acting had been awkward, she hadn’t shown such clear disdain for the male lead. Now, it was so obvious that how could they possibly shoot a romantic drama? In idol dramas, acting can be a bit off, but the chemistry and romantic vibes are crucial. At this point, Song Chengmu couldn’t even tell if the situation was better or worse.
It was probably worse.
Song Chengmu could only call for a break. No hope, no disappointment—what an empty joy, he sighed deeply.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingyi, also on set, couldn’t help thinking about Qin Shiye during the break. She wondered what was going on with that “flower vase” over there.
“What’s going on over there?” Lin Qingyi asked Bai Wenxi.
“What?” Bai Wenxi knew Lin Qingyi was asking about Qin Shiye, but pretended not to understand.
Lin Qingyi stared at Bai Wenxi, giving her three more seconds.
“You mean your little darling?” Bai Wenxi suddenly seemed to understand and teased. The words “your little darling” felt so awkward she shivered a little.
Lin Qingyi raised an eyebrow—Bai Wenxi had been a little cheeky lately.
“I just want to know if all the time and effort I spent last night went to waste.” Lin Qingyi spoke as if she wasn’t concerned about Qin Shiye at all—only about herself and the investment she had made.
This was a classic case of “hiding silver in a field”—the truth is right there.
Author’s notes:
Bai Wenxi: “Your little darling” made me cringe, gave me goosebumps.
Qin Shiye: Wanting to fall for Lin Qingyi in the drama is also a way of ‘advancing her career,’ I suppose.
Lin Qingyi: Advancing me should count too. It’s the biggest career move in this story.
Although there are many “fattening fans,” I personally prefer readers who enjoy watching the journey and commenting along the way.
There are also random red envelopes.
Thanks to the little angels who voted or gave “nutrient sprays” from 2022-01-17 23:40:16 to 2022-01-19 01:57:26—
Thanks to the little angels who sent rockets: Ai Zui Da, Su Nian 3; Long Xia Too Big, Ya Xi, Pu Yu Miss 1;
Thanks to the little angels who sent grenades: Jing, 49727643, Miao Pa Si–lxx Xx, Yu Yingyu 1;
Thanks to the little angels who sent mines: Ai You Wei 6; Qian Qian 2; 48749206, Huan Zhe, Gu Yan, Yu Xi, Qi En, Li Kao Jin, Yu Yingyu, Leng Xiao Wu Shang, Ma Y, Feng, Qian Ma Jing Xiang 1;
Chapter 34
“I asked earlier. Sister Fang said as long as she doesn’t act opposite the male lead, she shows huge improvement. But once she acts with the male lead, she falters.” Bai Wenxi knew her mistress would eventually ask, so she had already gathered intel.
“Wasn’t she acting with me pretty well last night?” Lin Qingyi asked casually.
“Yes, very well, but that was acting opposite you. The difference between the male lead and you is considerable. It’s understandable that Miss Qin isn’t used to it,” Bai Wenxi said, sticking to the truth while flattering her.
“That’s true.” Lin Qingyi smiled, clearly agreeing with Bai Wenxi’s words.
