CH 49

"..."

Song Yan stared blankly at himself in the mirror.

On the other end of the phone, Director Yan's curiosity seemed to be on the verge of breaking through the communication tower.

Then, Song Yan poured cold water on him with a light and casual "It's nothing" remark.

Since he started collaborating with this couple on the variety show, Director Yan felt like he made a mistake every day.

Every day, when the appointed time came, he would promptly turn off the camera. It's not that they particularly wanted to capture certain scenes that tested the boundaries of censorship, but isn't it normal for a legally married couple to occasionally embrace each other while wearing clothes?

Song Yan didn't know that Director Yan was complaining about him and Wen Li in his heart, but after hanging up the phone, he prepared to return to the private dining room.

This was a members-only private restaurant. The identity of the owner was a mystery, but it was said to be backed by Xingyi Group. It was difficult for journalists to infiltrate here, so people in the industry who had good connections liked to come here and gather with friends.

The elegant corridor resonated with the sound of classical music. Song Yan came from the direction of the restroom and happened to pass by the elevator that went up to this floor.

The elevator doors opened.

"Song Yan, long time no see."

With his eyelids lowered, the man walked slowly, completely unaware that someone had walked out of the elevator until his thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

It was a woman dressed in a retro-style dress. She took off her sunglasses, her long and delicate eyes were filled with a faint surprise.

There were online rumors that Tang Jiaren had returned to China recently; the reason was the casting of [Ice City]. It seemed that there was some truth to it.

Song Yan nodded, "Long time no see."

Since their collaboration in [Paper Airplane] ten years ago, the two had not worked together again. Their career paths were different, with one focusing abroad and the other focusing domestically. They had very little communication in recent years.

Tang Jiaren was not surprised by the distance she saw in the man's eyes.

"I heard from Director Yu that you guys were gathering here today, so I shamelessly came without an invitation."

"No, I think Director Qiu will be very surprised," Song Yan replied with a faint smile.

He guessed correctly. Director Qiu not only did not find Tang Jiaren's appearance abrupt, but he was also pleasantly surprised.

Tang Jiaren had been filming overseas for the past few years, but her influence among the domestic audience was not particularly profound. However, within the Chinese film industry, her name was even more popular than several young actresses who had good popularity and reputation in the domestic market.

As the two entered the private dining room together, the expressions of the people at the table varied.

However, Song Yan had already been married for two years, and in these past few months, his relationship with his wife had visibly become more intimate. He said it was just a chance encounter, so the others didn't let their thoughts wander any further. They treated it as old friends meeting after many years.

Tang Jiaren was the newcomer to the table, so the entire table's conversation revolved around her.

She was dressed simply today, with clean and beautiful makeup, which matched the overall atmosphere of the Chinese-style private dining room.

Another actress seated in the room praised her for turning retro into fashion.

"Fashion is always a cycle," Tang Jiaren said with a smile, "I've been rewatching old films recently and realized that the aesthetic back then was already very sophisticated."

Then she turned to Director Qiu and said, "Director Qiu, I heard that you personally invited a famous stylist for [Ice City] after much effort?"

"Yes," Director Qiu nodded, looking helpless, "It was just as difficult to please as Old Zhou. He wouldn't agree until he saw the script. He didn't want to ruin his aesthetic design on a lousy script, no matter how much money was offered. Old Zhou and he share the same quirks, so we managed to get him on board."

Film aesthetics are an extremely important subject. A good film, from the script to the art, must be of the highest quality. The film project [Ice City] was originally aiming for excellence, so in every aspect, they sought to bring in the industry's top talents.

Tang Jiaren smiled and said, "Then I must visit you another day to learn from you and see if I meet his aesthetic standards."

Director Qiu sighed, "You don't meet his standards. Neither do any other female artists."

While the table was lively with the conversation, the screenwriter Old Zhou didn't participate from start to finish.

The director and producer were engaged in conversation with Tang Jiaren, while Old Zhou pulled up a chair and sat next to Song Yan, whispering to him.

"She has a good temperament and a classical beauty, but she's not in the same league as Wan Zhu," he couldn't say this to the director and the others, so Old Zhou could only speak quietly to Song Yan, "She's like a narcissus, while Wan Zhu is like a bright and beautiful peony. She can be delicate and charming, or noble and heroic, just like your wife, Wen Li."

Song Yan raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "If my wife knew you praised her like this, she would probably be overjoyed."

"It's the truth," Lao Zhou sighed, "Unfortunately, I'm just a literati with a pen. I can't make decisions. I asked someone to pass the script to your wife earlier, but her agent never replied. I was quite unhappy, thinking your wife was too high-handed. Later, I found out that the script never reached her agent. During the time I was waiting for a response, this Miss Tang contacted me instead. Those who understand, understand."

So there was no need to be too explicit.

Song Yan remained silent.

The initial draft of the script was sent to both Song Yan and Wen Li by Old Zhou. Song Yan received it, but Wen Li did not. Wen Li's agent guessed that someone intercepted it, but they never knew who it was.

"Old Zhou, why are you sitting there? What are you talking about with Ah Yan? Jiaren wants to toast you," Director Qiu's deep voice sounded, and Old Zhou was startled. He shrugged and said, "I was talking about his wife."

Then he returned to his seat and raised his glass to toast Tang Jiaren.

Tang Jiaren cheerfully downed the entire glass and asked Song Yan with a smile, "Why didn't your wife come today?"

Song Yan also smiled, "The role is not necessarily hers. My wife is tactful and didn't want to come."

He hinted at something. Although Tang Jiaren's smile remained, the emotions in her eyes faded.

Even contractual couples would protect each other.

Director Qiu raised his glass to Song Yan and jokingly said, "Ah Yan, a few days later your wife will join you at that acting awards variety show. I'll also be on a variety show for the first time. You have more experience than me, so remind me then. I don't want to speak inappropriately and offend those young actors. There are so many actor fans now, I can't afford to offend them."

Assistant Director Zhao chimed in, "You're being modest. It's a blessing for those kids to have you on the show, Director Qiu, to give them a few pointers. Many people can't even fantasize about it."

"Assistant Director Zhao is right," Song Yan reciprocated, looking somewhat embarrassed, "My wife has always hoped to receive some guidance from Director Qiu. But I'm a slave to my wife, I feel sorry for her whenever she feels wronged. I hope Director Qiu can be lenient with her."

Director Qiu laughed so hard that his shoulders shook, repeatedly nodding, "Alright, alright. In consideration of you being a slave to your wife, I'll definitely be more restrained with my words."

After finishing the meal, the group of people separated in the heavily guarded parking lot.

No staff members were allowed to attend the dinner, so the actors' managers and assistants were waiting in the nanny cars.

Tang Jiaren's and Song Yan's cars were parked relatively close, so they walked in the same direction. Song Yan's manager, Ke Bin, couldn't help but be stunned when he saw Tang Jiaren.

Tang Jiaren said, "Brother Bin, long time no see," then turned and got into her own car.

This seemingly distant and polite scene was observed by Director Qiu and Old Zhou, not far away.

Old Zhou, focused on his creation, rarely cared about the entertainment industry's affairs, but he also knew that these two individuals were the male and female leads of the blockbuster youth arthouse film from ten years ago. They had known each other since their youth, and at that time, they were pure and innocent. Whether they developed any other relationship or not, they could still be considered old friends. In recent years, they had each pursued their own careers, and there hadn't been any conflicts of interest, so their relationship shouldn't have become so distant.

Director Qiu, however, spoke to himself, "It seems Yu Weiguang's warning wasn't for nothing."

Old Zhou hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

Director Qiu looked puzzled, "Haven't you always been uninterested in celebrity gossip? Why are you suddenly so enthusiastic today?"

Old Zhou thought to himself, in his eyes, Song Yan wasn't just an actor; he was the Ting Feng in his writings. As the creator of the character, he naturally cared.

But if he said that loud, he would definitely be laughed at by Director Qiu.

"At the very least, he's going to play my character, so I should show some concern," Old Zhou reasoned.

The reason behind the words he had just spoken slowly emerged as Director Qiu explained it to him, fueled by the effects of alcohol.

"Remember [Paper Airplane] from ten years ago?" Director Qiu asked.

Old Zhou nodded, "The one directed by Yu Weiguang."

"That film won awards, didn't it? At the time, Yu Weiguang held a celebration banquet and invited many people. I went too. At that time, I asked Yu Weiguang how he managed to find such a talented young actor. Yu Weiguang said it was purely good luck. He had initially thought of making a youth arthouse film, something that young people would enjoy watching. The acting skills of the male and female leads were secondary. The most important thing was for them to have a certain charisma and youthful energy. So he cast an amateur actor as the male lead. He never even considered winning any awards. When he explained the role to Song Yan, he used the simplest language possible."

"But Song Yan was just an ordinary high school student at that time, a blank slate. Tang Jiaren, on the other hand, was a dancer with stage experience, slightly better than him, but still inexperienced. The two kids didn't know each other, and when Song Yan looked at her, his eyes were empty. That worried Yu Weiguang a lot."

Old Zhou sighed and said, "But didn't Song Yan win the Best Newcomer Award that year?"

Song Yan and Tang Jiaren were also voted as the "Best Screen Couple" in the online poll that year.

"Let me finish," Director Qiu interrupted, waving his hand, "Simply explaining the role to Song Yan didn't have any effect. So Yu Weiguang told him, 'Do you have a girl you like? Imagine her being radiant, while you are just the dirt in the ground. You like her very much, but you feel you're not worthy of her'."

Old Zhou let out a meaningful "Oh"

So in that film, the eyes of Song Yan's character were not focused on the female lead or on Tang Jiaren, who played the female lead. Instead, they were focused on the girl in his heart.

This also explained why the collaboration between Song Yan and Tang Jiaren in their film ten years ago was hailed as a classic in the industry. Some of the details and shooting techniques in the film have been imitated and paid homage to by many youth films to this day. There were even rumors that the two of them had a brief relationship off-screen due to their on-screen romance, but they later broke up and lost contact.

It was normal for actors to draw from their own real-life experiences to enhance their performances, Yu Weiguang suggested this to many actors. It was never taken to heart, Song Yan had also never mentioned it in interviews. So only a few directors with good relationships in the industry knew about it.

"Don't talk about this outside," Director Qiu reminded Old Zhou, "Otherwise, we'll end up with all sorts of fabricated news and Old Yu will hold me accountable."

Old Zhou nodded, "I understand."

——

In a private restaurant near the outskirts, after the dinner party had just ended, Wen Li, who had rushed from the filming studio to the variety show recording site, received a message on WeChat from one of her dead users - her uncle.

Wen Yan:「Today, Song Yan went to Wen Zheng's restaurant for a meal.」

Wen Zheng was her younger uncle. Her grandfather had three children in total. Her mother, Wen Wei, was the eldest sister, and the other two brothers were Wen Yan and Wen Zheng, respectively.

Her younger uncle was a carefree playboy with no ambitions. He never concerned himself with family matters. The Wen family motto was that any dreams other than inheriting the family business were considered "misguided paths". So even though Wen Zheng's private restaurant was doing well, Wen Yan, the stern and impartial one, still looked down on it and rarely inquired about his brother's business.

Wen Li was puzzled and replied:「Did you make up with little uncle?」

Wen Yan:「In his dreams!」

Wen Li:「Uncle, I suspect that my stubbornness is inherited from you.」

Wen Yan:「Being your uncle is tiring enough. You want me to be your father too? In your dreams.」

Wen Li:「Can't you change your way of speaking? You're asking for a beating.」

Wen Yan:「First, change your habit of saying 'cut'.」

Wen Li:「Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.」

Wen Yan fell silent for a while.

Wen Yan:「Wen Zheng said he saw a female celebrity among the group of people.」

Wen Li became even more confused and replied:「So what?」

Wen Yan:「That female celebrity is Tang Jiaren.」

Wen Li didn't reply any further.

Wen Yan:「Loyalty is the moral bottom line in marriage.」

But what if it's a marriage of convenience?

Does this bottom line still hold true?

While Wen Li was contemplating her uncle's words, a staff member came to collect her phone.

In the third episode of [For You To Debut], the rankings were announced. The process was simple, Wen Li just had to read the rankings out loud.

She glanced at Xu Li's ranking and thought it was good. He ranked fourteenth, just a few spots away from debuting. If he gained more fans in the following episodes, he might actually have a chance of debuting in a male idol group.

As Wen Li read Xu Li's ranking, she watched him walk onto the stage and smiled at him. She was genuinely happy for him.

Xu Li was also surprised and smiled back at her.

Several trainees who were familiar with Xu Li, sitting in the audience, were immediately shocked.

"Damn, the iceberg is melting. It's the first time I've seen Xu Li smile so sweetly."

Upon hearing the exclamation from the audience, Xu Li immediately put on a poker face again.

"It's too late, Xu Li! We've captured you smiling!"

Wen Li, who had experience with shipping CP in the entertainment industry, had an unfavorable speculation in her mind.

It shouldn't be that they were being paired just because they exchanged smiles, right? This sibling CP would be too surreal.

After the show finished, Wen Li searched for the CP's fan discussion board.

As expected, during the recording of the third episode, due to Xu Xingyue's teasing comment about being "indifferent", a low-key CP called [Double Li] subtly emerged on the CP fan discussion board, freezing to the Arctic Circle.

However, these niche CPs were usually self-created within a small circle. Moreover, the female lead was married, and her CP with her husband was known as the number one BG CP in the entertainment industry. With an invincible fan army, these small CP fans could only survive cautiously within their own small circle to protect themselves.

Reality can indeed be so surreal.

There were fans who had edited videos suggesting they could be in CP relationships. What did it matter if they were siblings? Moreover, nobody else knew that she and Xu Li were siblings.

She recalled the WeChat message her uncle sent her and couldn't resist the urge to search for the CP fan discussion board of Song Yan and Tang Jiaren.

[Tang Song CP]

It had that flavor of ancient tragic romance.

Because the male lead was married, the CP fans involved in this pairing were the kind who had no rights once they went public. They could only bounce around within their own small circle.

Seeing a CP fan on the discussion board named [Waiting for the Miracle of Tang Song's Second Collaboration] with many fans commenting and checking in every day, Wen Li's lips twitched slightly. She felt a bit uncomfortable inside and finally understood why CP fans were both loved and hated.

The flame of fighting spirit in Wen Li's heart began to burn fiercely once again.

She not only wanted to win over Song Yan but also wanted to secure the movie role.

She would be domineering and unreasonable, whether Tang Jiaren suddenly appeared for the movie role or for Song Yan.

——

Wen Li had a busy schedule today. In the morning, she had a magazine photoshoot, and in the afternoon and evening, she participated in the recording of a talent show. It had gotten completely dark outside, but she still hadn't returned home.

Song Yan had arrived home before her and was still in his study as usual.

He was reading the script for the final episode of [The S-Class Acting Awards]. It was the closing episode of the show. They had invited eight guest actors. Each guest actor selected eight classic scenes from their previous works as the competition content. In the first part, the guest actors would help the rookie actors complete their scene interpretations in the original scene. In the second part, they would draw lots to exchange scenes and had only one day to memorize the script, immerse themselves in the character's emotions, and complete the performance.

Although the lottery added an element of uncertainty, the guests received the scripts in advance and knew which eight scenes they would be performing.

All the selected scenes were from classic works in film and television, so the scripts were challenging. Song Yan needed to study them in advance.

"It's been an hour, but Mr. Song hasn't turned the page."

The director sounded perplexed.

Even though he was looking through the script and needed to grasp every word, his efficiency seemed too low.

"He's daydreaming."

It was similar to studying. You sat obediently in the classroom, appearing to listen, but your mind had already wandered off somewhere else.

Most people do the same in meetings when they're adults. They appear to be listening to the boss's speech, but they don't take in half of the words.

Song Yan was indeed daydreaming.

Since his phone call with Director Yan at noon, his mind had been wandering.

Finally, he closed the script and took out his phone.

He glanced at the camera, lifted his chair, turned around, and used the back of his head to block the screen.

The camera crew: "..."

After a few unpleasant experiences, Song Yan had become even more cautious in his demeanor.

Director Yan pointed at the monitor and said, "I suspect he's secretly watching yellow movies behind our backs."

The assistant director replied, "It can't be that..."

Director Yan became angry and said, "Why can't he just openly let us watch it?"

"..."

Lately, Director Yan had been in a bad mood. Whenever he encountered a guest who refused to be filmed, he would become furious. Song Yan and Wen Li were the most uncooperative pair to film, but Director Yan insisted on monitoring them. He occasionally visited the other three couples, but most of the time, he wished he could live with the camera crew of Team A.

Song Yan didn't know that he had caused a significant psychological impact on Director Yan. He searched a few keywords on the Q&A interface.

[Analysis of behavioral characteristics of narcissistic, arrogant, stubborn, and difficult girls.]

Then the best summary was:

「In anime, she's a popular female lead; in reality, she's a drama queen.」

「In short, for male compatriots who are attracted to this type of girl, I sincerely advise you, unless you have a masochistic tendency, quickly switch your affections. The sooner you switch, the better for your mental health.」

"..."

He closed the Q&A interface and went straight to Weibo.

In theory, fans should be one of the groups that understand their idols' personalities the best.

Wen Li liked to browse their CP fan discussion board. Song Yan knew about it, but she always claimed it was accidental and refused to admit it. Song Yan couldn't be bothered to expose her every time.

The latest featured videos on the fan discussion board were updated.

Two fans made separate videos with the titles [Wen Sanli's Thousand-layer Tactics] and [Song Beauty's Thousand-layer Tactics].

The [Thousand-layer Tactics] was a BGM acclaimed as suitable for any CP editing material, widely used for anime CPs, and also found in many editing videos of real-life CPs. In short, as long as it wasn't an obscure CP, it would most likely have the honor bestowed by CP fans who were skilled at editing.

Song Yan wasn't interested in watching his own video and clicked on Wen Li's directly.

The lyrics were in a foreign language, but there were subtitles below the video.

The video began with a barrage of comments.

「They finally targeted the Salt Grains.」

「Let's see it a billion more times.」

「The class on Wen Sanli's tactics for seducing men is now in session!」

"Being married for two years but still having a distant relationship with her husband, there must be no fickleness in the third year. If you want to successfully seduce a man, you absolutely cannot do it without tactics!"

Song Yan, because he had studied some basic Japanese during filming in previous years, vaguely felt that the lyrics and subtitles didn't quite match up.

"Dance the girliest dance in front of him, use cunning to touch his heartstrings. Even long-time married couples can 'develop feelings' with a sweet score."

"Wen Sanli's handbook for seducing men: ABCDE."

"A: Cut."

"B: I don't want it."

"C: Not interested."

"D: Teacher Song~"

"E: The script is not as good-looking as you."

"All these moves, one after another, form a chain of tactics. This is the haughty, multi-layered, Wen Sanli's tactics!"

「I don't care; I believe that Sanli is playing hard to get!」

「Anyone who watches it and doesn't say 'UP the uploader!!' isn't a true fan!!!!」

「I'm going to say 'perfect' a thousand times!!!」

「The universal Japanese doesn't feel out of place at all.」

「Tagging @Song Yan @Song Yan @Song Yan @Song Yan @Song Yan」

Song Yan: "..."

No need to tag him, he had already seen it.

Like a sudden burst of brightness, a light ignited within his heart, making everything clear.