CH 42

With the showerhead pouring water over her head, Wen Li washed her hair while thinking about what Song Yan meant by "breaking the rules" earlier.

Since when did rehearsing a scene become a violation of the rules?

Moreover, she felt that her tone just now, aside from being a bit stiff, was quite good.

Because she was lost in thought, her shower took longer than usual. When Wen Li came out of the bathroom, an hour had already passed.

Song Yan was already lying in bed asleep. She worried about waking him up, so she set the hairdryer to the lowest setting. After blowing for a short while, her arms grew tired. With slightly damp hair, she climbed into bed.

Unable to sleep, Wen Li lay on her pillow and used her phone to review the scenes she had acted in before.

Some bloggers in the film and television community often collect similar scene materials from different dramas and compile them into videos. Wen Li searched for her own keywords and found one of the videos.

「Confession scenes in Films and TV dramas that deeply touch the heart (girls' confession edition)」

Someone in the comment section kindly provided navigation, indicating which drama and at what minute and second the scenes were from. It was all written clearly.

Wen Li directly dragged the progress bar to find her own scenes.

The blogger had selected confession scenes from two of her dramas. However, what made her uncomfortable was that one of the dramas was the ancient puppetry drama she had worked on with Lu Ming. At the time the blogger made the compilation, Lu Ming's affair had not been exposed yet. Some comments from before the scandal and the latest comments were mixed together, saying all sorts of things.

「Confessing scene of "fame and fortune" couple! It's really hard to reconcile the meaning of marriage and love qwq.」

「Those days when "fame and fortune" couple were truly happy. Who knew the ending would turn out like this?」

「Archaeology check-in.」

「Lu Ming deserves to be cheated on. Now, Salt Grain is the number one BxG CP in the entertainment industry.」

In the video, Wen Li played a female warrior who had just started her martial arts training. She crossed paths with Lu Ming's character, the young master of the Duke's residence. Both characters were straightforward and mischievous by nature but lacked understanding of love and affection. As they spent time together, the atmosphere between them grew increasingly ambiguous. It was the female warrior who first realized that she had developed different feelings for this carefree young master.

Thus, the confession scene came about.

"When I was young, I made a vow. When I leave my master's sect and enter society, I want to marry someone like my master. A great hero who punishes evil and upholds righteousness, someone who isn't bound by trivialities. Instead of a useless young master who looks down on others, indulges in luxury, and speaks only of his noble status."

When the young master heard this, he widened his eyes and immediately retorted, "Bold!"

"But...whenever I see you, I feel joy, nervousness, and fear. When I don't see you, I feel sadness, frustration, and a sense of unfairness. I even dream of marrying you, causing me to wake up in the middle of the night, blushing and feeling ashamed," The female warrior reached this point and couldn't hide her coquettish expression any longer. She stood with her hands on her hips and yelled at him, "Did you find some charlatan to cast a spell on me?"

The young master dumbfoundedly stared at her for a long while. Finally, he realized what she meant and hugged the female warrior tightly. With a wicked yet triumphant voice, he whispered in her ear, "Hmph, it was indeed me who cast a spell on you. I made you yearn for me even in your dreams. But this spell is a bit flawed, because it rebounded. I need to genuinely fall in love with you, a fool."

「I love you, my Sanli!」

「I'm doneeeeeee!」

「"Fame and fortune" couple back then was really intense.」

「Lu Ming, the cheating man, give me back the sincere feelings I paid when pursuing fame and fortune.」

Wen Li sighed too. Who could have expected this?

Now that Lu Ming was being boycotted and banned, their past "fame and fortune" CP had come to an end.

In the drama, the female warrior and the young master ended up together, but extending the drama's CP to reality, hoping for a good outcome, was not without precedent. However, more often than not, it ended tragically.

For artists, this was not real affection; it was just a promotional method for exposure. It was work, a mutual exploitation. Once the cooperation period ended, breaking free and purifying the fandom was inevitable. If the untangling process didn't go smoothly and the fans became increasingly hostile, it would further rupture the relationship between the two artists' teams, making it impossible for even a basic amicable separation.

For artists, being tied to a CP for a long time would affect their individual development. No matter how good the relationship was, it couldn't withstand the demands of their careers. In recent years, many CPs in the industry went from being extremely popular to becoming strangers. CP fans who were unwilling to accept this fact believed that it was just a superficial relationship and that in reality, they were still good friends.

However, as someone in the industry, Wen Li knew very well that it wasn't that complicated. It was simply over between them.

There were still fans of "fame and fortune" CP in the comment section.

「I'll say why they were so famous for "fame and fortune" CP back then. It's unnecessary to say that he liked Sanli. Even the mistress he found was a knockoff version of Sanli. In the drama, the gentle gaze and tone from Wen Li came from the heart, not just for the female lead but also for Sanli. Sanli, who started in idol dramas, effortlessly handled such scenes. The way the girl faces the person she likes with shyness and fluster is truly exceptional. So, during that period, many people thought they developed real feelings for each other while acting, which spilled over into real life.」

「The old fans know that she only feels genuine emotions when filming, hahaha.」

「The new fans who joined also know. Sanli looks at beautiful women with less intensity than when she watches male actors. 」

「The fans are already tired of the phrase 'collaboration'.」

「Now Salt Grain can pursue real relationships, but I still feel like this couple won't dare to take the plunge.」

Reply from the original poster:「Sigh, things have improved compared to before. There's interaction and appearances together, at least the fans don't have to photoshop anymore. 」

Wen Li skimmed through the comments. Although she had found the crux of the issue, she still wasn't sure how to solve it.

She sent a WeChat message to her agent, directly asking about the status of that Republican-Era movie script.

Lan Dan was also awake, probably busy, as she replied quickly.

「Although the role is not the leading one, many female artists are eyeing this role because the male lead, your husband, is a double award-winning actor. Apart from you, there are two other A-list actresses in contact.」

This meant that Wen Li had a low chance of getting this role.

Lan Dan replied again:「 The trouble is that a few rising actresses are also vying for it. I heard Tang Jiaren recently returned to China for private matters, and it seems to be related to this role.」

The so-called rising actresses, unlike popular leading actresses like Wen Li, could handle serious dramas and drive box office success. Many top directors who are focused on reputation only considered these rising actresses for casting. Tang Jiaren was the youngest A-list rising actress at the moment. She was also the female lead in the critically acclaimed film "Paper Airplane" that became a box office hit. That film propelled both the male lead, Song Yan, and Tang Jiaren to fame.

In recent years, Tang Jiaren had shown interest in developing her career in the European and American markets, so she had been abroad.

Wen Li sighed.

It seemed that getting that script wouldn't be so easy after all.

Lan Dan suggested:「What if you ask Teacher Song to help you out?」

Wen Li glanced at the back of Song Yan's sleeping head and thought for a while before responding.

「Even if he helps me, there's no guarantee that I'll perform well in this role. I might even drag him down. Whether it's arranging a meeting with the director or auditioning, they have to believe that I'm capable.」

Lan Dan:「Okay, I'll let President Zhang know.」

「You have a program recording tomorrow morning, so go to sleep soon.」

When Lan Dan mentioned that, Wen Li became worried again.

She decided to endure tomorrow morning and deal with it then.

She closed the WeChat app and took the opportunity to watch another compilation video by the same blogger, this time featuring male confession scenes from movies and TV shows. She wanted to see how Song Yan performed.

Surprisingly, even after watching an hour-long compilation, there was no sign of Song Yan.

Strangely enough, there were no fans expressing dissatisfaction with the blogger's bias either. It was just a random person in the comment section who asked.

「I came from the girl confession compilation, Wen Li had two scenes from two of her dramas. Why doesn't her husband have any scenes?」

The blogger replied:「Um, it's because I couldn't find suitable material to include. The only romantic arthouse film he acted in, 'Paper Airplane', was all about unrequited love without any confessions.」

Because of the blogger's response, this comment quickly became popular.

Many fans in the thread replied.

「Hahaha, fans say that Song Yan himself admitted his weakness in emotional scenes, so even if there are any, they are just embellishments to the main storyline. Such delicate confession scenes are simply impossible.」

「When I was in high school, I secretly watched Song Yan's movies and got caught by my teacher. They said I wouldn't get into university if I kept watching such lovey-dovey stuff. Hilarious. In the end, I got into Tsinghua University.」

「Find Song Yan in the compilation of emotional confession scenes in movies and TV dramas. There's no shadow of it.」

「Reaching for the moon in the water.」

「Seeking fish on a tree.」

「Fishing for a needle in the ocean.」

"Says I am breaking the rules, turns out it was his own lack of experience."

Wen Li muttered softly, pouting her lips, and lightly poked the back of his head.

As a result, she woke him up. Since the light was on, Song Yan had only been lightly sleeping. He turned his head to face her with a sleepy expression.

Wen Li didn't expect him to be awake and felt guilty, so she grinned ingratiatingly, "Why haven't you slept yet?"

He didn't answer, just made a soft sound. However, he noticed that her hair, which reached her waist, was still slightly damp.

"You didn't dry your hair?"

"I did, but it's still a little wet."

"Won't it bother your head?" Without wasting words, Song Yan got up from the bed, "I'll go get the hairdryer."

Wen Li had no choice but to sit up reluctantly, but she also worried that her head might hurt tomorrow and affect her program recording. After he brought the hairdryer, she reached out and said, "Give it to me. I'll dry it a bit more."

It seemed like he didn't hear her. He plugged in the dryer and simply passed his hand through her hair, blowing it for her.

Wen Li was a bit dazed.

She's not unfamiliar with having her hair blown by someone else, but she pays the hairstylist for their services; she doesn't get it done for free.

She won't give Song Yan any money...

Inside the room, the sound of the air conditioner and hairdryer blowing filled the air, but Wen Li didn't find it enjoyable; instead, she felt nervous.

"What do you mean by saying 'lack of experience'?" he asked.

"Huh? About the confession," Wen Li grabbed her phone and showed him the video, "It's this video."

Then she showed him her clips of her acting in her TV dramas, sounding boastful, "Look how well I act."

In the video, Wen Li's eyes sparkled as she looked at the two male actors. There was admiration, shyness, anticipation, and nervousness. Her lip-biting and shoulder-shrugging gestures seemed to invite the other person to come closer and respond.

Song Yan pursed his lips, suddenly snatched her phone, locked the screen, and threw it aside.

"What are you doing?" Wen Li's tone was displeased, reaching out to grab her phone.

Song Yan snatched her phone again, this time throwing it farther away and lightly tugged on Wen Li's hair.

"You showed me this to intentionally make me unhappy?" he asked.

Wen Li hissed, intending to get angry, but seeing his unhappy expression, she turned her eyes around in confusion and said meaningfully, "Unhappy? Oh, I see, you feel upset because you think I act better than you, and your self-esteem is hurt, so you're unhappy, right?"

"It's not because of that," Song Yan rubbed her hair, "Think of other possibilities."

"Are you upset because you saw Lu Ming?" Wen Li felt this possibility was more likely and comforted him, "It's fine, I don't mind anymore. Just relax."

Song Yan felt like he was talking to a brick wall.

"...Are you stupid?" he said.

"Who are you calling stupid?" Wen Li immediately retorted, "You're the stupid one, a total fool."

If someone insulted her once, she could reply with ten insults.

Song Yan nodded faintly. "I married a fool, so of course, I'm a fool too."

"Hey, you! Insult yourself all you want, but you don't have to belittle me. So if I marry you, the fool, what does that make me? A fighter jet among fools?"

Song Yan let out a muffled "hmph" from his throat.

After bickering back and forth, with her hair drying finally done, Wen Li lay comfortably on the bed while Song Yan turned off the bedside lamp and prepared to sleep. Then he heard Wen Li ask in the darkness, "Are your arms sore from holding them up for so long?"

Should I massage them for you?

She didn't say the second half, planning to wait for Song Yan to complain about soreness before bringing it up.

But Song Yan replied, "It's fine, go to sleep."

Wen Li deflated, "Oh."

His arms didn't get massaged, but she had a lot more to say, like whether he wanted to collaborate with her. If he did, she would work hard and try to secure the script for that movie.

She also wanted to say that most celebrity couples who were hyped by the public didn't end well. Only a very small portion actually ended up together. After the contract ended, it would be another round of chaos and bloodshed. She didn't want to go through it again. If Song Yan didn't have someone he likes, she wouldn't mind continue being with him.

But those words seemed too forward, so the proud Wen Li didn't say anything at all.

——

The next day's recording was still held at the university, but the so-called confession segment was removed.

The night before, the assistant also felt that the deliberate confession segment could be saved for the final episode as a summary of the entire season. Having the guests express their feelings for each other now, with "I love you" and "I love you too", would make the subsequent episodes of their daily lives less sweet.

Therefore, the confession segment the next day was transformed into a performance by several invited campus couples, while the guests watched and reacted from the indoor monitoring room.

Wen Li didn't like others watching her confess, but she enjoyed watching others confess. She kept smiling as she watched the on-screen campus couples.

"So, for this kind of pure confession, we should watch these young people," Qiu Hong clicked his tongue a couple of times, "If people of our age were to do it, it would just be cheesy."

Wen Li nodded in agreement. "Agreed, Brother Qiu."

The four guest couples were all relatively young, the oldest of them being in their early thirties. The staff members nearby exchanged looks with each other.

No need to make excuses based on age.

After completing the daytime recording, in the evening, the four guest couples gathered on the rooftop of the hotel to conclude this trip to Rong City with the final segment.

The last segment was the rooftop truth or dare.

To create an atmosphere for this segment, the program team intentionally decorated the hotel rooftop in a warm and romantic manner. In addition to desserts and drinks on the table, there were also soft golden star lights scattered around.

The campus recording during the day reminded the guests of their carefree university and high school days. They had been discussing about it since the recording started.

Even though teenage romance was strongly opposed by teachers and parents, many people couldn't control the budding of their emotions at that age.

Anyway, everyone is an adult now and married. The past is the past, and there's nothing that can't be said.

"I don't have much to say," Wen Li carefully recalled, "I attended an art high school. My class only had girls, no boys."

However, Qi Sihan was very interested in digging into her idol's past and curiously asked, "But there must have been boys in other classes, boys who had a good relationship with you, Teacher Wen Li?"

"Boys with a good relationship? Well, there was, but I didn't meet him in high school. He was my childhood buddy."

Immediately, a guest teased, "Oh, childhood sweethearts, huh?"

"Yeah," Wen Li didn't have anything to hide and said directly, "But our relationship wasn't good. We used to argue all the time."

"So, nothing more developed between you two?"

Wen Li frowned immediately, shaking her head in resistance, "No, how is that possible?"

"Hahaha, you're denying it so eagerly. Are you afraid of making Song Yan jealous?"

Wen Li glanced at Song Yan, thinking that he already knew, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

Qi Sihan felt that the childhood sweetheart route wasn't going anywhere and turned to ask something else, "Apart from your childhood sweetheart, are there any other male friends with whom you had a good relationship?"

Wen Li subconsciously glanced at Song Yan again.

During high school, she didn't have any particular impression of Song Yan. He was just "Bai Sen's friend", good at academics, and had even tutored her younger brother, Xu Li. He was always quiet and reserved. Among the teenagers who were hot-headed and childish, his aloofness seemed particularly "pretentious", giving the impression of being "eighty years old at eighteen".

And he... he used to ignore her.

Definitely not considered having a good relationship.

Wen Li shook her head, "No, there weren't any. I had good relationships with other girls though."

"Okay," Qi Sihan was clearly a little disappointed with that answer and then turned to ask Song Yan, "What about you, Teacher Song Yan?"

"No one. I was young back then and didn't know how to interact with girls," Song Yan's voice was soft, tinged with self-deprecation. In the dark night, it sounded like a gust of wind passing by. Luckily, he was wearing a microphone, allowing the other guests to hear clearly, "Sometimes, I didn't know where to put my hands and feet in front of people. I was afraid of making mistakes, so I could only act aloof."

Qi Sihan widened her eyes, "And then? What happened next?"

"There was no 'next'."

Qi Sihan couldn't conceal her disappointment in her tone, "That's it? Teacher Song Yan, you were really timid back then."

Song Yan chuckled lightly, actually admitting it, "Yes."

Wen Li felt like he had something more to say and glanced at Song Yan.

Song Yan also turned his head to look at her, his eyes somewhat narrowed and probing. He could speak with those deep, clear eyes. Wen Li understood a little, but not completely. Even though she didn't fully comprehend, she still couldn't handle it and turned her face away, feeling her heart race faster in the cool breeze of the night.