It was already upsetting enough that there was one noob on the set.
What's even more upsetting is that players discovered a second noob!
After the SR went bad, the UR went bad too.
For some reason, Gu Xingye was relatively normal when filming his own scenes, but whenever he had scenes opposite her, he would always mess up three or four takes.
This couldn't go on. Although the player didn't care about the NPC's acting skills, delaying the filming schedule would hold up her next movie.
【One month after "Ding Feng Bo" began filming, you were in excellent form and produced quite a few stunning behind-the-scenes shots. However, the actors playing opposite you were starting to decline, especially the male lead. If this continued, the filming might be delayed. What do you plan to do—】
「A. Tell him to get lost and suggest to the director that they replace the male lead. (Note: This option requires the player's "Family Background" level to be higher than the NPC's, or the NPC's Favorability toward the player to be 80 or above.)」
「B. Urge him to improve his acting skills and stop holding you back.」
「C. Sneak into his room at night and give him some proper training.」
She originally wanted to choose A and tell him to pack his bags and get lost, but Gu Xingye was the heir of the Gu family—there was no way the player could outmatch him in terms of background and status.
The player could only resort to a roundabout strategy: recycle the waste and give him the books she'd snatched back from Yan Zhu earlier.
【You gifted Gu Xingye "Never Fear Difficulties: Becoming an Actor from Zero." His Favorability toward you increased by 1 point.】
【You gifted Gu Xingye "Fundamentals of Dramatic Performance." His Favorability toward you increased by 1 point.】
【You gifted Gu Xingye "An Actor's Self-Cultivation." His Favorability toward you increased by 1 point.】
【You gifted Gu Xingye "How a Talentless Acting Scrub Breaks Through Limits." His Favorability toward you increased by 0.1 points.】
…
Well, compared to that SR who deducted her Favorability, this UR was at least somewhat sensible.
Watching the Favorability rise, Xia Cheng nodded with satisfaction.
However, these gifts that boosted the "acting" attribute could only be given five per day, and the "acting" skill only gained 5 points total. If the NPC actually read them, an additional 5 points could be added.
But Gu Xingye was clearly not a diligent student who loved reading. The player was certain he hadn't even flipped through the books she'd given him.
At this rate of adding acting points bit by bit, when would it ever improve?!
You unambitious NPC, get your act together right now!
【Late at night, you arrive at the luxury hotel where Gu Xingye is staying, intending to spur him into improving his acting skills.】
Gu Xingye seemed to have just taken a shower. His tousled hair was slightly damp with moisture, and his delicate, handsome face currently wore no particular expression, but against the backdrop of the lingering steam, there seemed to be a certain allure about him.
So handsome, I want to sleep with him… The player's lust had just begun to stir, but the moment she saw his barely-passing acting attribute, her desire instantly evaporated.
She struck first: "Gu Xingye, did you read those books I gave you?"
"Nope." Gu Xingye seemed surprised to see her here. He raised an eyebrow and leaned lazily against the doorframe, his long lashes casting shadows over his light brown eyes, making them appear deeper. He looked down at her. "What are you here for?"
"That's not the point!" She began to complain at him, but because her voice was too soft, what should have been a complaint sounded more like a coquettish whine. "Can you please read more books? Have you ever heard the famous saying that books are the ladder of human progress? Your acting is already not great, and if you don't read, it'll be even worse! I'm aiming for an award with this movie. If it affects my path to Best Actress, how are you going to compensate me?"
Was she complaining about him?
Gu Xingye was somewhat distracted. He could only see her little mouth moving, going on and on about something—he hadn't absorbed a single word.
His gaze landed on her lips.
Her skin was very fair, so her entire face was pale, like a snow-white canvas. When she wasn't wearing makeup, only her small lips were pink, like peach blossom petals—the sole splash of vivid color painted on the canvas.
He thought again of the scene he'd filmed with her today.
This production wasn't centered on romance. Although they had plenty of scenes together, their designated love interests were the second male and second female leads—neither of them had romantic feelings for the other.
She played the demonic cult enchantress "Xie Kulan," who wanted to obtain clues to the treasure map and deliberately pretended to be an innocent maiden to seduce him, while he played the righteous young hero "Xiao Yunhan," who vaguely sensed something strange about the girl and decided to play along, stringing her along.
When "Xie Kulan" leaned down to kiss him, the script called for "Xiao Yunhan" to subtly dodge her.
But he'd gotten stuck on that part several times.
He had acted before, so this was a low-level mistake he shouldn't have made. But somehow, looking into her spring-water-like eyes, he… easily forgot what he was supposed to do next.
At that thought, a wave of irritation rose in him.
He didn't want to think about why that was—after all, she was Duan Mingxuan's woman.
Gu Xingye had never been able to understand his brother Gu Ran—couldn't understand how he'd turned against a longtime friend over a woman, and couldn't understand how he'd reduced himself to that ghostly, inhuman state for her sake.
What was the point of that?
Madness for love?
He refused to become someone like Gu Ran.
But the more he tried to avoid it, the more his gaze was involuntarily drawn to her.
He didn't understand why. Aside from being exceptionally beautiful, having a particularly carefree personality, being an especially talented actress, and doing things in a remarkably reckless way… she didn't seem to have many other merits.
"Why do you want to be a Best Actress so badly?" he suddenly asked.
"Because I'm destined to be one!" the girl said in a naive, matter-of-fact tone. "I was born into this world to become a Best Actress. If I can't achieve that, then this life has no meaning for me. To reach my goal of becoming a Best Actress, I can do anything."
"'Anything'?" Gu Xingye curled the corner of his mouth. "Including being the caged canary Duan Mingxuan keeps?"
[Your voluntary decision to become Duan Mingxuan's canary displeases Gu Xingye. His favorability toward you decreases by 10 points.]
Huh?
Xia Cheng looked up, her gaze at him suddenly turning meaningful.
That strange tone.
That strange choice of words.
That strange attitude.
Daring to be sarcastic, huh? Acting skills aside for now—just wait. NPCs always end up as a player's dogs in the end!
It just so happened that with filming every day lately, she hadn't had any free time in her schedule to sleep with her sugar daddy. A distant well can't quench a nearby thirst—she might as well sleep with Gu Xingye first.
Xia Cheng put on an innocent look. "But what does it have to do with you whether Duan Mingxuan keeps me or not? Unless… you want to be his canary too?"
Gu Xingye was momentarily choked, then let out a helpless, exasperated laugh.
He waved his hand dismissively, his tone cold and lazy. "You should go. It's late—I need to sleep."
"I can't leave yet," Xia Cheng said, walking straight into his presidential suite. "Did you forget? We have a bed scene to shoot tomorrow. There aren't any explicit shots, but the director said we should get familiar with each other beforehand so it won't be awkward on set."
"I came to you tonight to rehearse."
A bed scene.
His fingertips trembled slightly.
That word was like a scorching flame, igniting directly from his heart and spreading through his blood. Even the normally cool night breeze seemed to turn hot and stifling.
The pale shell of his ear suddenly flushed red.
"No need." Gu Xingye lowered his gaze, looking away from her. His originally clear voice had turned low and hoarse. "It's only a few shots anyway… no need to go through the trouble."
"But you messed up so many takes today. Who knows if you'll pull the same trick tomorrow and deliberately take advantage of me?"
"Me, deliberately taking advantage of you?" He laughed in disbelief, his handsome features laced with mockery. "How could I possibly—"
"So prove it to me then." She reached out and touched his handsome face, her voice soft and syrupy—whether coaxing or provoking, it was hard to tell. "It's just a rehearsal, right?"
He gripped her wrist—neither letting go nor pulling away, only his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
Reject her.
He thought.
He should reject her firmly, decisively, right now.
But why—
Why did he not only fail to reject her, but instead let things spiral out of control?
[You invite Gu Xingye to a "lights-out battle" under the guise of rehearsal. Faced with your invitation, he struggles with all his might but cannot resist, ultimately kneeling at your feet and obediently becoming your devoted dog. Gu Xingye's favorability toward you increases by 50 points.]
[You have triggered a new CG: "Kneeling Subject." Stamina Points decrease by 10. Charm Points increase by 10.]
…………………………
Deep in the night, even the air was still, yet the temperature in the room seemed to keep climbing.
The girl in the pink slip dress leaned against the soft, spacious bed. Though propped up by cushions, she still swayed this way and that like a soft ragdoll.
Gu Xingye's mind had turned into a hot, muddled mess.
He felt like he'd gone completely insane—insane beyond all reason.
People truly couldn't understand one another, because even the him from two hours ago couldn't understand the him of now.
Everything had developed too suddenly—so suddenly that it hadn't given him even a moment to hesitate.
What was his status? He was the heir of the Gu family, the top-tier celebrity pursued by countless people in the Eastern Continent, an aristocratic young master perched at the very pinnacle of the pyramid. Arrogance and unapproachable pride were practically carved into his very bones. He had never imagined that one day, he would willingly stoop to do something like this for a woman.
Especially when she was the woman of his good friend.
He wanted to stop—the thread of rationality was already on the verge of snapping. He knew full well that the path ahead led straight into the abyss.
But she was too sweet.
The scent on her was simply too sweet.
Sweet enough to drive a man insane.
He finally confirmed that the fresh, sweet peach fragrance he had smelled on her before was not perfume, but her natural body scent.
How could there exist a peach so sweet and soft, so utterly irresistible to the touch?
Kiss after kiss fell in rapid succession. Even as he scorned himself inwardly, he simply could not stop.
No wonder Duan Mingxuan doted on her so much—she was truly pitiable and endearing. Just by being like this, she already made him want to pluck every star from the sky and give them all to her.
But the moment he thought of Duan Mingxuan, a faint, inexpressible jealousy rose within him.
Xia Cheng's phone suddenly rang.
The caller was none other than Duan Mingxuan.
How thrilling.
The player couldn't help but think.
She made a shushing gesture at Gu Xingye, then pressed the answer button.
"It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"
Duan Mingxuan's voice was calm and indifferent.
Xia Cheng said in a sweet, coquettish tone, "I can't sleep, I was waiting for your call."
He seemed to chuckle softly, then urged her to go to bed early. She whined that he hadn't come to see her in a long time, and he replied that he'd been busy lately and would come pick her up from the set in a few days.
They weren't even in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship—did they have to be this clingy?
Gu Xingye thought irritably.
Just one phone call, and her attention was completely off him.
He wasn't about to let her use him and toss him aside.
…………………………
…………………………
Gu Xingye lifted his head, his gloomy brows and eyes filled with provocative smiles.
"What's wrong?"
Duan Mingxuan asked.
"Nothing much." She said nonchalantly, "Just got bitten by a nasty mosquito. Already swatted it dead."
…………………………