…A dress?
What dress?
Lu Ren was completely bewildered.
“You heard Director Xu,” Yin Beilin said, his tone flat as he looked at him. “Don’t keep the others waiting.”
What do you mean, ‘Don’t keep the others waiting’?
Lu Ren’s vision went dark. He wanted to ask the heavens and the earth, this was clearly the romantic scene between Yin Beilin and Rao Mengmeng! What business was it of his?
But just then, Yin Beilin hummed a soft “Hmm?”
“Lu Ren, did you not hear me?”
The “Hmm” was lazy and devoid of emotion. The words “did you not hear me” were spoken in a flat, steady tone.
Yet, Lu Ren still managed to hear a hint of a threat beneath that magnetic and pleasing voice.
He looked back at Yin Beilin, whose cold, calm eyes were fixed on him, one eyebrow slightly raised.
…Five million!
Under Yin Beilin’s gaze, a chill ran down Lu Ren’s spine. He nearly blurted out a “Yes, sir!” like a terrified eunuch.
Ignoring Rao Mengmeng’s expression beside him, Lu Ren stammered that he was going right now and hurried away.
***
He was told not to keep the others waiting, but Lu Ren couldn’t find the makeup room.
After waiting for a while, a few young women rushed over, looking anxious. “Where’s Lu Ren? Have you seen Lu Ren—*Holy shit!*”
Lu Ren awkwardly waved to the girl opposite him. “I’m right here.”
The girls’ expressions froze. They apologized profusely before leading him to the makeup room.
The so-called makeup room was actually a converted business van. This was an outdoor shoot, after all, and in the height of summer, even with a tent set up, conditions were far from ideal. The outside was swarming with flies and gnats, but the van had air conditioning, which at least helped prevent the makeup from smudging.
“Teacher Lu didn’t come in with his makeup already done today,” the makeup artist said, her first words to him. After saying it, she seemed to realize she’d made a faux pas and looked at Lu Ren awkwardly.
Lu Ren didn’t think much of it and just gave a noncommittal “Mm.”
The makeup artist asked tentatively, “So… does Teacher Lu have any specific ideas for his look today?”
“Huh?” Lu Ren replied. “I don’t have any ideas. You’re the makeup artist—just do whatever you think looks best.”
The makeup artist seemed surprised, then smiled. “Alright, I got it.”
Seeing her smile, Lu Ren smiled back.
The assistants behind her couldn’t help but exchange glances, their group chat already buzzing.
Holy shit, the sun must have risen in the west. Lu Pengci is actually being easygoing? Can you believe it?
He’s just faking it. A bunch of people were roasting him on Weibo yesterday, so he’s putting on an act today.
I think he’s in a good mood today. Fucking hell, he’s not wearing makeup, I mistook him for someone else on the way here, walked right up to him, and asked where Lu Ren was. He didn’t even get mad. Scared the shit out of me.
Don’t even get me started. I almost didn’t recognize him either. shocked
Thank god it was you and not me. I was just asking everyone around, “Where’s Lu Pengci?” lmao. If he’d heard that, I’d be dead.
A moment later, the lead makeup artist returned. The girls quickly put away their phones and joined her in the flurry of activity.
Lu Ren sat in the chair, letting the assistants brush and dab at his face.
He had no interest in the makeup; his mind was completely occupied with trying to figure out what the hell was going on with this plot.
Though he had just been shaking in his boots out of fear of Yin Beilin, Lu Ren now felt that he was no longer afraid of him!
So what if he’d *almost* blackmailed him for five million? So what if he’d *almost* recorded a video!
Hadn’t they both been *almost*? Hadn’t they both been *unsuccessful*?!
He hadn’t actually done it.
The original owner of this body had intended to, but hadn’t he failed precisely because Lu Ren had transmigrated into this body?
*Even if this world revolves around Yin Beilin, surely the male lead can’t be this lawless? Lu Ren thought.
*This is a law-abiding society!
*Surely they wouldn’t just wipe the floor with a straight man over a mere attempted thought and a chat log, would they?!*
But as for that five-million-yuan loan shark debt…
Lu Ren was at his wit’s end.
If the original owner had illegally seized the money, he would have just accepted it.
Lu Ren scoured the original owner’s memories for half a day, only managing to recall that it had started with a debt of over a million, and he had no idea how it had snowballed to five million.
He didn’t even know how much money was left in the bank account. If all else failed…
Could he borrow some from Yin Beilin…?
*Or else… Huang Ying would work too…?*
The thought of how many years it would take him to earn five million yuan made Lu Ren’s vision go dark.
*Oh god, what kind of trashy cannon fodder life is this…*
Lu Ren’s mind was a mess.
Just then, someone suddenly called out to him, “Teacher Lu!”
After greeting him, the person delivered what Lu Ren had requested. “Here is the backup script you asked for.”
Lu Ren quickly thanked him.
*Forget it, I’ll just focus on acting the scene well first.*
…Though he actually couldn’t understand why Yin Beilin would have him perform this scene.
This is clearly the scene where the male lead and Rao Mengmeng seal their love… Why was it switched to me? Lu Ren thought bitterly.
His heart was a tangle of indescribable emotions. It felt like there were two little figures in his head. The one on the left said: …Who cares about the marriage agreement? You have a role to play now, and you’re not a eunuch!
The other little figure said: So what if he’s not a eunuch? The last one had no root, and this one has a root that’s barely there.
The little figure on the left: “…”
Lu Ren also: “…”
But no matter what, if I act well… maybe Yin Beilin will go easy on me?
With this thought, Lu Ren took a deep breath, opened the script, and began reading slowly under the bright light of the vanity mirror.
For an actor, Lu Ren possessed a rather helpful advantage he read very quickly.
In less than fifteen minutes, he had already skimmed through his own scenes. The original owner of the body didn’t have much screen time to begin with. By focusing on his own lines first, and combining them with his awakened memories and the updates Dongfang Zhizhu had previously written, he got a general idea of his character’s role.
After that, Lu Ren read the script again, this time carefully analyzing the plot.
The overall storyline of *Blade Edge* followed a suspenseful trajectory.
Chen Dao was a young man from a disadvantaged background. Despite his high intelligence, he had dropped out of college after his parents passed away. He possessed skills but couldn’t find a better job, and he fared poorly compared to his former classmates.
Coincidentally, a serial murder case broke out in the city. The fifth victim was Chen Dao’s childhood sweetheart, Xiao Rou.
The serial killer vowed to claim seven victims.
Because of a class reunion the night before, Chen Dao played by Yin Beilin became the prime suspect in the murder of his childhood friend. The plot revolves around three central figures: the police officer investigating Chen Dao, Chen Dao himself, and Zhao Zhisong, the police chief’s son and Xiao Rou’s fiancé.
The story unfolds from Chen Dao’s perspective. To clear his name, he follows the killer’s trail, hunting down the suspects he believes are responsible. Lu Ren plays Wen Nian, a cross-dresser in the drama.
The script never explicitly reveals the true identity of the serial killer. However, from Lu Ren’s perspective, Wen Nian is highly suspicious. In fact, Wen Nian *is* a murderer. Even if he isn’t the serial killer, he is still a dangerous individual. He took advantage of the ongoing murders to sneak his own victim’s body into the mix, framing it as the sixth murder in the series.
In the end, all evidence points to Zhao Zhisong, played by Du Huai, and Chen Dao is finally cleared of all charges. Zhao Zhisong is apprehended by the police after Chen Dao provides a crucial tip-off while Zhao is attempting to flee by car. He is ultimately sent to prison.
Lu Ren read this part and nodded.
No wonder he’d walked in today to see that scene of Du Huai being arrested.
*Du Huai’s acting was pretty good.*
But there was a suspenseful twist at the end.
In his police statement, Du Huai insisted he had only killed Xiao Rou and that the other bodies had nothing to do with him.
His confession sent the entire city into another frenzy.
Lu Ren nodded. *This makes sense,* he thought, *because one of the bodies was the work of the cross-dresser.*
But why did Director Xu add this scene?
The screenwriter, who had just delivered the script, brought over the outline for the improvised final scene. Lu Ren glanced at it, feeling a bit confused.
From his perspective, it seemed the cross-dresser, Wen Nian, decided to kill one more person because even counting the body he’d slipped into the mix only six people had actually died.
If Wen Nian killed Chen Dao, the serial killer would have the final body needed to complete the Seven Deadly Sins.
Besides, their relationship had always been morally ambiguous. Wen Nian had helped Chen Dao clear his name, but along the way, he’d developed a certain interest in him.
So, he invited the utterly righteous protagonist, Chen Dao, to the same stretch of road where Du Huai had been captured, for a picnic only to hunt him down.
To be honest, Lu Ren still found this part a bit hard to wrap his head around.
Wen Nian’s motive was easy enough to grasp: a psychopath develops an interest in someone and wants to kill them. That made perfect sense.
But why did Chen Dao agree to go? It felt like he had no motive at all.
Chen Dao had finally managed to clear his name of all suspicion. Now, he was walking straight back into the mess. It was as if he were just asking for trouble.
Still, if the script demanded it, Lu Ren had no choice but to play along.
He glanced at his lines. There were only two.
“Actually, I’ve always wanted to thank you.”
“This knife is truly beautiful, don’t you think?”
Both lines felt a bit melodramatic.
But they were easy to understand.
Lu Ren stroked his chin. The first line was straightforward: Wen Nian was playing the role of a troublemaker who had managed to hide his own crimes by mixing them in with Chen Dao’s. With Chen Dao’s unwitting assistance, he had escaped police pursuit. He truly did owe Chen Dao a “thank you.”
As for the second line, Lu Ren thought it over and started to get a feel for it.
The story was titled *Blade Edge*, and knives were naturally a central symbol in the film. Beyond the protagonist’s name, Chen Dao, there were countless subtle hints and references to knives throughout the drama.
For instance, the wealthy young master played by Du Huai had a Japanese sword displayed in his home.
Chen Dao later sold fruit, and he often used a fruit knife in his hand.
The third female lead, played by Rao Mengmeng, also used a knife to cut the hand of her attacker in the end, leaving behind evidence.
Wen Nian, a character with a slightly larger role than an extra but smaller than the third female lead, also had a knife.
He was a crossdresser, a crossdresser with an elite persona.
Elite, of course, meant suits, banquets, and steak knives the steak knife was the symbol of this crossdresser.
When he wore men’s clothes, he wouldn’t eat Western food with a steak knife. When he wore women’s clothes, he would deliberately have dinner with the target he was about to kill.
The steak knife was his weapon of slaughter.
When he killed for the first time, he also asked a question like this, “Is this knife beautiful?”
Originally, the final scene of the original owner’s wrap-up stopped at inviting the male lead to have dinner together.
Things should have been left with some lingering charm at this point, but Director Xu suddenly added this scene of going out for a picnic, and let him ask the male lead “Is this knife beautiful,” finally being killed by the male lead in self-defense.
Compared to a script that made Chen Dao passively fall into crisis again, the lingering charm of agreeing to have dinner together was already enough. Adding this scene felt a bit redundant…
Lu Ren was a little confused.
…Was it not this simple?
He was about to dive back into the script, trying to untangle its plot, when a hand tapped his shoulder.
“Mr. Lu, take a look.”
His makeup was done.
Lu Ren looked up into the mirror. The next second, his mouth dropped open in a perfect ‘O’. “Wha—”
*Damn…*
The makeup artist, beaming with pride, asked, “Well, Mr. Lu? Pretty good, right?”
*Pretty good?*
Under the oval vanity lights, Lu Ren stared, speechless. “This is… simply divine craftsmanship.”
The makeup artist chuckled and gave his hair a final comb-through.
His long hair, reaching past his ears, flowed smoothly down his back. “She” stared at her own reflection, her features a striking blend of cool detachment and vivid beauty.
*East Asia’s Number One Evil Art indeed,* Lu Ren thought, his face a mask of horror. *This is just too damn uncanny…*
…Is this really still him…?
If he had to describe it, the overall effect of the makeup was more heroic than a woman’s, yet softer and more alluring than a man’s.
Actually, Lu Ren’s original features weren’t those of a sharp-edged, masculine man; his facial structure was relatively smooth. If the makeup artist had truly wanted to make him look like a girl, it wouldn’t have been impossible. But this artist had taken a bolder, more unconventional approach. Instead of relying on heavy eye makeup or false eyelashes, she had accentuated the heroic boldness of his eyebrows and refined his facial contours.
The makeup artist focused heavily on Lu Ren’s lips.
She meticulously outlined his lips with a pencil, then blended the color with a brush. The result was an incredibly elegant red lip that perfectly accentuated his natural shape.
At first glance, his features made him look like a stunningly beautiful woman. But on closer inspection, he seemed more like a man with a feminine face.
He was, without a doubt, gorgeous.
The makeup artist had someone bring over a wig, then expertly squatted behind him.
“Teacher Lu, it might look a little off right now, but once you put the hair on, I guarantee you’ll be so beautiful that no one will be able to tell if you’re a man or a woman.”
As she spoke, she grabbed his hair and secured the extensions.
The girls behind them were all squealing in excitement. Lu Ren, his face flushed red, stood up while wearing the wig, only to have several more items stuffed into his hands by the girls.
*I can deal with the clothes,* Lu Ren thought, staring in shock at the bright red nail polish in his hand. “…Do I have to use all of this?”
The makeup artist nodded solemnly.
“That’s right. It’s fine if you mess up the ones on your hands, but remember to paint your toes too.”
With that, she slammed the makeup cart’s door shut.
***
A few girls got off the makeup car, giggling as they opened their group chat.
Damn, I’m stunned by Lu Pengci again. I’m so guilty.
Hahaha, I’m guilty too. But did you see Lu Pengci’s face when he heard about painting his toes? He turned completely green. I’m dying.
I saw it! Hahaha, what the hell is wrong with him? Why is he acting so innocent all of a sudden? He’s the one who got his nails done before.
I caught it on camera!
Holy shit, that’s insane! Your hands are too fast! I was about to take a picture, but I was afraid his lawyers would send me a cease-and-desist letter.
I took it secretly. But seriously, he’s so beautiful. When he put on the wig, my heart skipped a beat. I practically want to marry him.
Get a grip. Lu Pengci has been intimate with over 20 men. That’s more than the number of men you’ve held hands with in your entire life. You don’t stand a chance.
Hahahahahaha
I’m dying of laughter
But he really is quite good-looking. Though if we’re talking about looks, Luo Jiuge is still way more beautiful than him.
Of course. Luo Jiuge is the undisputed number one beauty in the entertainment industry.
The girls were chatting excitedly when the door suddenly swung open.
The ones on their phones stopped instantly, their heads snapping up in unison to stare at the person stepping out of the car.
A black stiletto heel trembled as it touched the ground.
A beautifully woven black strap crisscrossed the snow-white instep. The toes were fair and rounded like jade, their red nail polish making them look exceptionally seductive.
As the foot gently pressed onto the ground, the faint outline of slender veins could be seen. Following the line upward, the ankle was delicate and long, and the calf’s contours were astonishingly smooth and beautiful.
***
Lu Ren stepped out of the car, his gait unsteady and swaying in the high heels.
The group of young women opposite him, who had been chatting and laughing just moments before, suddenly fell silent. As he descended, they all stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.
Lu Ren felt a blush creep up his face under their intense gazes. He tuggedself-consciously at the bodice of his dress.
He was wearing a red, halter-neck Bohemian maxi dress with a crisscross neckline. The skirt cascaded in voluminous, rose-like ruffles. The top, however, consisted only of a single crisscrossed strap.
As a straight man wearing women’s clothing for the first time, Lu Ren found the area around his chest particularly strange. He lowered his head and tugged at the fabric, only to be startled when the makeup artist beside him rushed over.
“Teacher Lu,” the makeup artist said with a stern expression, “please don’t make such ungraceful gestures when you look this beautiful.”
Lu Ren was speechless.
One of the female employees couldn’t help but whisper to her colleague, letting out a soft, “Holy shit…”
“If Lu Pengci had dressed up like this before, I would never have dared to scold him…”
“Right? Holy shit, I take back everything I said. I think he’s even prettier than Luo Jiuge now.”
“Damn… He’s way too good-looking. How is a man supposed to look like this? It’s not fair to the rest of us…”
“My god, how does he manage to look so youthful, so feminine, yet so alluring and pure all at once?”
Lu Ren felt a blush creep up his neck as he watched them whisper among themselves. He scratched his head awkwardly and couldn’t help but ask, “Do I look… strange?”