Zhi Qi, with her porcelain-white teeth biting her crimson lips, hadnât even had time to change her sandals as she rushed to the set with Qiu Mi. Her mind was blank along the way.
At the moment she heard âJiang Qiâs in trouble,â her mind conjured up many terrifying scenarios, frightening herself pale. Her voice trembled as she asked Qiu Mi about the situation ahead.
But how could Qiu Mi explain?
He could only keep a serious expression, pretending to be anxious. In fact, Qiu Mi was genuinely anxious. He had followed Shen Leiâs orders to scare Zhi Qi into coming, but if Zhi Qi found out there was nothing wrong, sheâd be furious⦠and Brother Qi would have to deal with him.
Qiu Mi felt like he was between a rock and a hard place, mentally exhausted. Now he had to ambiguously handle Zhi Qi.
The set was quite far from Lan University. Qiu Mi thought about Shen Leiâs warning to bring her by 1:30, and drove recklessly, almost running red lights. Finally, they arrived at 1:25.
His impatience made Zhi Qi feel like something serious had happened to Jiang Qi. Her fingers involuntarily turned white as she clenched them together, feeling like an invisible hand was squeezing her heart, almost suffocating her.
When they arrived at the setâs entrance, Zhi Qi couldnât wait for the car to stop before running out. Even though she was wearing strapped sandals, she moved as if she were wearing sneakers, swiftly stepping forward.
âMiss!â Qiu Mi realized something was wrong and hurriedly called out, âWait for me, you donât know where to go!â
Zhi Qi had to force herself to âbrakeâ her pace.
The two took the special elevator to the floor. The moment they stepped onto the set, Jiang Qi was preparing to get into character.
Somewhat persuaded by Shen Leiâs âearnest advice,â Jiang Qi had closed his eyes, trying to recall the sweet and happy memories that could make him smile.
But then he heard a chaotic noise. Whether it was his imagination or reality, Jiang Qi faintly heard Zhi Qiâs voice. The girlâs voice had always been soft and distinctive, with a hint of biting at the end.
âWhatâs happened to him?â
âWhereâs Jiang Qi?â
â¦
Was it an illusion? Or was it real?
Jiang Qi suddenly opened his eyes and saw the figure in dark green not far away through the mirror. He stood up abruptly, and his eyes met the startled pupils of Zhi Qi as she hurried over.
âJiang Qi!â The girl ran up to him like a delicate butterfly, looking worriedly up and down at him. âWhat happened to you?â
What could he say? Jiang Qi was somewhat bewildered. But the sudden appearance of Zhi Qi, even if it was bewildering, was far from the joy that couldnât be suppressed in his heart.
Before Jiang Qi could reply, Qiu Mi came panting over as well, awkwardly laughing to defuse the situation. âHaha, Brother Qi is fine, he just wanted to see you.â
Zhi Qi was stunned, asking blankly, âDidnât you say Jiang Qi was in trouble?â
â¦
The atmosphere became extremely awkward for a moment. Even if Jiang Qi was usually indifferent, there were seldom moments as âfrozenâ as this one. Qiu Mi felt his hair stand on end, completely at a loss. Oh dear, he was just following Director Shenâs instructions! How did he end up taking the blame?
Qiu Mi felt numb from head to toe, completely clueless.
Fortunately, Zhi Qi was like an angel, and after she realized something was wrong with the atmosphere, she guessed what was going on. She breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt somewhat bemused. However, she couldnât help but feel that Jiang Qiâs gaze on the little assistant was quite intimidating.
Zhi Qi thought for a moment, then reached out and tugged at Jiang Qiâs sleeve. âHey.â
One word could thaw the Arctic.
âHmm?â Jiang Qi forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, adjusting his expression before turning his head to look at Zhi Qi, his eyes softening with a hint of hostility. The girl tilted her head slightly, her porcelain-white teeth biting her lip gently, looking pure and obedient as she gazed at him.
âItâs my first time on set.â Zhi Qi smiled. âCould you show me around?â
Qiu Mi was about to be moved to tears by her request!
Of course, Jiang Qi would agree without hesitation. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Shen Lei, not far away, urged them.
âItâs time,â the man called out.
â¦
Jiang Qi felt another surge of anger in his heart, but unfortunately, it was truly one thirty now.
Zhi Qi tilted her head, curious. âTime for what?â
âAn audition,â Jiang Qi said, hastily adding, âItâll be quick. Can you⦠wait for me?â
His words seemed to imply a fear that Zhi Qi might just leave. Suppressing her laughter, the girl nodded. âSure, is it your audition?â
Jiang Qi made a sound of agreement.
Zhi Qiâs eyes lit up. âGreat, can I watch?â
Jiang Qi certainly couldnât say no. After all, he never refused Zhi Qi, and he couldnât control her actions either. But⦠for the first time in his brief âacting careerâ, he felt nervous, just at the thought of Zhi Qi watching him. Taking a deep breath, Jiang Qi adjusted his emotions several times, forcing himself to remember the script before walking towards the camera.
Just before it officially began, Shen Lei saw Zhi Qi following behind him. His eyes lit up, and he grabbed Jiang Qiâs arm, lowering his voice. âIf you canât smile at the end of the audition, look at your little girl.â
Jiang Qi was slightly taken aback. He was extremely intelligent, but it wasnât until now that he realized why Zhi Qi was here.
So everything was arranged by this old fox.
Before stepping up, Jiang Qi couldnât help but glance at Zhi Qi again. The girl stood next to Qiu Mi, her dark eyes fixed on him intently. With a mixture of affection and playfulness, she seemed to melt anyoneâs heart in an instant.
In a daze, Jiang Qi seemed to have figured out how to âsmileâ.
Just the thought of Zhi Qi made him smile naturally, and all the embarrassment and awkwardness from before disappeared in an instant. Jiang Qi walked up to the camera and began his solo performance. He followed the script methodically, almost completely immersed in his own world.
*
The young man was slender, wearing only a thin shirt. When he faced the mirror, his straight back revealed the slight protrusion of his shoulder blades, so thin that it almost evoked a sense of pity. But his expression between his eyebrows was not like this. Although the young man felt like he was a girl, there was a stubbornness in his softness.
A famous actor once said that the most charming quality of male actors is the vulnerability that makes people want to destroy them, while female actors have a sense of stubbornness.
Jiang Qi was a male actor, but his current role was a âgender dysphoria patient,â so he needed to adjust his mindset to truly believe that the character he was playing was a girl. What he was seeking now was the stubbornness that female actors needed the most.
Qu Heng, behind the camera, watched without blinking, realizing for the first time what a âgenius actorâ was. These actors, relying solely on talent, were not constrained by the rules and regulations of teaching. They had an innate sensitivity and knew exactly what the audience wanted to see and expressed it most accurately.
Thatâs what an actor is. Just two simple words, but some people can never achieve it in their lifetime, while others can understand it in an instant.
God was unfair when creating people.
The entire audition set was silent, with everyone staring blankly at Jiang Qiâs performance, their thoughts drawn into the world he had created. And Zhi Qi was the only âoutsiderâ in the entire set. Here, she was the only one who didnât know the content of the audition script, so at first, she could only watch Jiang Qiâs performance blindly, like feeling an elephant in the dark.
She watched the young man sitting in front of the mirror, as if his whole demeanor had changed. The usually tough and aloof âmad boyâ softened, grooming himself in front of the mirror like a girl. This was a performance without props, without anyone to act with. The young man had to find his feelings all by himself.
At first, Zhi Qi didnât understand what Jiang Qi was doing or how he became like a girl, but gradually, she got into it.
Except for Jiang Qi in front of the camera, there was only a mirror and a bed. The young man didnât deliberately imitate the obvious features of a woman, such as affected walking postures, etc. He just seemed very satisfied after âdressing upâ in front of the mirror and walked around the room.
Then the young man sat down, his long legs lightly crossed as he lit a cigarette. It was still the prestigious Huanhe brand he was used to. Jiang Qi bit the cigarette, held between two fingers. Only the knowledgeable could understand that this was the posture of a woman smoking.
The young man didnât do it deliberately, but the details were meticulousâJiang Qiâs mind was extremely sharp, and basically all the small details were not particularly observed in daily life, but were recorded bit by bit. For example, during those days in prison, what couldnât be seen?
After finishing a cigarette, the expression between the young manâs brows seemed unusually content.
Then he stood up, walked to the edge of the bed, opened his arms, and fell back, letting his body sprawl freely on the large bed. His movements were like a graceful bird, joyful and free. Unconsciously, it was time for the final scene of the audition.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Jiang Qi needed to lie on the bed, laughing happily and contentedly.
Shen Lei suddenly snapped out of the scene, becoming nervous. He subconsciously looked towards the âsaviorâ he had brought in, but was surprised to find that at some point, tears were streaming down Zhi Qiâs face.
The young girl bit her finger joints to suppress her voice, but she couldnât help whimpering softly, and even her shoulders were trembling slightly. She didnât know what Jiang Qi was performing, but Zhi Qi could always sense his inner feelings, feeling Jiang Qiâs loneliness and discomfort.
Zhi Qi had already guessed that the character Jiang Qi was portraying was probably a unhappy and pitiful person, so she couldnât help but cry along with the performance. Shen Lei couldnât help but frown with a headache, thinking this was bad. If this girl cried, how could Jiang Qi still smile?
âBut flowers can bloom on cliffs and steep slopes, and surprises often happen when least expected.
In the last scene, Jiang Qi turned his head slightly and saw Zhi Qiâs dark green figure from afar. Suddenly, his thoughts were drawn back to scenes from several years ago.
He finally remembered the most beautiful moments.
About himself and Zhi Qiâmeeting, reuniting, liking each other, making promises. Jiang Qi smiled from the bottom of his heart, his light-colored eyes filled with madness and contentment. This was also the first smile captured by the media after he entered the public eye.
But only a few people knew that he was just smiling at Zhi Qi.