CH 79.1

Me tl-ing this chapter: Haha, look at that CN media references I don’t know fun!

In more serious note: if you found me making a mistake (specifically on the said medias) please correct me! Thankies in advance~

Almost all groups signed up.

There wasn’t a reason to refuse. Though, the biggest reason that everyone agreed was because their luggage was taken away somewhere, and only a handful of them had money on their person right now. 

Though, they technically could be cheeky and ask to pay with other meaning – they were filming, after all, they knew that the crew would compensate it later – but it’s still better to follow what the director said. Plus, this would net them better screen time too, and they might be able to show off their talent on top of that. 

The director began to introduce the rules of the game. “This game is called: you act and I guess.”

An open space was divided in the middle of the venue.

The director smiled and continued his explanation. “Now, please take turns to come forward in each group. A staff member will give the title of a movie or a television drama. You have 5 minutes per round, where one of the teams will act, while the other teams will try to guess the title and the protagonist’s name. If the guesser correctly identifies the protagonist, the acting team will get 5 points. For each 10 points, you can exchange it for one dish. Remember, the acting team can only say some vague things while acting. If you said the title or the characters’ names, it’s a foul, and you will get punished. Ah, the team with the lowest point will also get punished!” 

The rule sounded reasonable. 

Maybe the director took pity on them, especially because some of them couldn’t eat breakfast before running around in the village. They were exhausted. 

The director clapped his hand as he said, “Okay, now that everyone understands the rules, let’s invite the first group, Shen Xingchen and Tuya!”

The others applauded.

The audience was also looking forward to this game.

[I have never seen the young master act before.]

[Hahaha, Ms. Tuya has almost never acted too.]

[Let’s see what they got!]

As the timer officially started, a staff member raised the panel. Shen Xingchen glanced at it and found that it said “Spongebob Squarepants”.

Tuya looked a little confused. 

Shen Xingchen has already started acting. He first coughed lightly, and then jumped up and down on the spot twice. He looked silly and happy, then held Tuya’s hand while chilidishly said, “Let’s catch some jellyfish~ Let’s go!” 

“…”

Tuya was silent for a while.

She hadn’t watched Spongebob Squarepants much, so she didn’t know this reference. She just nodded and replied, “Okay.” 

The other guests were amused by Shen Xingchen’s exaggerated acting skills.

Shen Xingchen saw that no one had tried to guess, so he could only act more. He picked up a branch on the ground, and then made a gesture of cooking, “I want to make the most delicious krabby patty!” 

All the guests started to raise their hands:

“Spongebob Squarepants.”

“The protagonists are Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star.”

“Wait, so Mr. Krabs isn’t worthy to be one of the protagonists?”

“Hahahaha!” 

Everyone was joking and having fun with this kind of interactive game. The audience was infected by their mood, and the barrage was flooded by laughter and praises. Some enthusiastic audiences have also actively participated in good fun. 

Soon, the staff member gave a second prompt.

“Legend of the White Snake1白娘子传奇 / bái niángzǐ chuánqí; literally “Legend of the White Lady”. The titular white lady is referring to Bai Suzhen, a snake demon.” 

Fortunately, Tuya has seen this drama.

Shen Xingchen coughed lightly. He entered the scene very quickly. Just when Tuya was about to play the role of Bai Suzhen, he had already pinched his finger into an orchid gesture2a very feminine hand gesture used by ladies and eunuchs., jumped in front of Tuya in small steps, and shyly said, “Official…” 

Tuya’s whole body froze.

Who would imagine a 180 cm tall, hedgehog head, young man using that gesture while shyly calling you “officer”?? She was like struck by a thunderbolt from pure shock, okay? 

Meanwhile, the other guests were amused by this scene. A couple of them were desperately trying to hold off their laughter.

Someone tried to guess:

“Is it Official Ximen Qing3a fictional character in the novels 金瓶梅 “Jin Ping Mei” and 水滸傳｜水浒传 “Water Margin”?” 

“Hahahaha, don’t talk nonsense, what if it’s ‘The Temptation to Return to The Village4回村的诱惑. I honestly was confused, because it’s a film from 2018, with the setting being from the 1980s. SXC clearly played a lady / eunuch from a dynasty period (unclear which though), so why is this guess?? Unless, it’s referring to another title? If you know what is it, tell me please~.’” 

“I think it’s obviously a scene from Detective Di Renjie5a Chinese official/politician during the Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties. One of the things he was famous for was his mystery-solving prowess. He was depicted in many dramas/movies though..” 

“Di Renjie is referred to by a different title though6Di Renjie is referred with 大人 “Daren”, not 官人“Guanren”. Both are used to refer a governmental official..” 

The wild guesses of the guests amused the audience in the live broadcast room, and also made Shen Xingchen, who was performing, jump up and stare at everyone, out of breath.

Fortunately, Tuya quickly grabbed his hand and began to speak her lines. She even had watery eyes, “Even if Jinshan is flooding today, I will definitely rescue your husband!

Shen Xingchen choked out a reply, “Then, thank you.”

Tuya’s brewed emotions burst instantly, and she guffawed and said, “N-no, you’re welcome.”

The guests also laughed, and then they understood what was going on. They all guessed correctly, which allowed this group to get another 5 points. It was pure comedy from start to finish, and the group ended up with 30 points. 

At the end, Shen Xingchen was still panting. “I’m really exhausted!”

Tuya also nodded in solidarity, “Acting is really a hard job…” 

Then, the staff member spoke into the loudspeaker. “Now our second group, Anran and Li Xu’an are ready!”

The second group was ready.

Anran and Li Xu’an mostly got cartoons, such as “Pleasant Goat and Big Grey Wolf” and “Haunted Bear”, which were well-known. The difficulty of acting is not high, but the performance was vivid and hilarious. Finally, they got 40 points, which was considered good.

Soon, it was the turn of the third group, Shen Xingsui and Fu Jinxiao.

Tuya whispered to Shen Xingsui as he walked, “You have to pay attention. Because of Jinxiao, the program team may make it a little more difficult for you to perform. Suisui, you may have to be extra prepared!” 

Shen Xingsui was a little nervous.

On the contrary, Fu Jinxiao was leisurely. While walking towards the stage, he lowered his head and glanced at Shen Xingsui, and said in a low voice, “Don’t be nervous, just follow my lead.”

Thanks to Fu Jinxiao, Shen Xingsui really relaxed. The actor must’ve had some magical power, because he really gave Shen Xingsui a sense of security with just one sentence.  

The two stood in the middle of the stage, and the staff member team held up a sign: “Journey to the West—Kingdom of Women Arc” 

“…”

Shen Xingsui fell silent for a moment.

The difficulty of the other group was “Spongebob Squarepants” and “Haunted Bear”. And for his team… was a specific arc of a drama. 

But, no matter how difficult it was, he would try his best to go all out for victory!

Shen Xingsui recalled the memories on how Shen Xingchen acted, and tried to emulate him. He cleared his throat, and said tentatively, “Will you really get pregnant if you drink the water from the Zimu River?

Fu Jinxiao immediately nodded as he replied. “Yes, you will.” 

The other guests immediately guessed:

“Journey to the West”

“Sun Wukong!”

“Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie!” 

But the director only shook his head, “Nope!” 

Because it was the “Kingdom of Women” arc, the protagonist shouldn’t be them. It was indeed an insidious plan thought up by the director. 

Shen Xingsui racked his brains, and finally remembered two iconic lines from the show. He was quite shy, so when he acted it out, he blushed a little. Thankfully, his desires to win weighted out his embarrassment, so he said his lines smoothly. “Today, let’s not talk about the scriptures, Yu-di gege. Look at the imperial garden – it is bright and beautiful in spring. With such pleasant scenery, let me accompany gege to enjoy it, okay?” 

His voice became smaller and smaller the longer he said it. It actually came out as gentle and shy… which made it like a cat’s scratch. Itchy, but very endearing. 

The guests became excited, while the live broadcast audiences became wild. 

[Who can stand this!]

[My gege’s lines melted my heart.]

[Suisui baby is so cute TT_TT]

[Hahahaha, I would like to call this team the best.]

Shen Xingsui himself felt very ashamed after speaking. He didn’t dare to lift his head, and didn’t dare to look at Fu Jinxiao’s expression. Fu Jinxiao raised his eyebrows meaningfully, watching Shen Xingsui’s blush slowly darken as he became more embarrassed. 

The actor gradually restrained his leisurely expression, which was a sign that he was going to be serious.     

The guests also became serious and guessed:

“The Ruler of the Kingdom of Women?”

“Shouldn’t Tang Sanzang count too?”

The other groups only needed to say a few protagonists’ names casually to pass the test, but this group couldn’t. But here Fu Jinxiao probably already understood what kind of answer would be acceptable. 

Shen Xingsui was also in a hurry. He asked Fu Jinxiao with anxiety in his voice, “Why are the answers they gave wrong? I feel that the line just now was clearly stated. There should be no problem.” 

Fu Jinxiao looked at the lovely youth in front of him. The actor wanted to tease him further. So he lowered his body, his voice was low and magnetic as he whispered, “It may be that your volume is too soft so they couldn’t hear it clearly. Why don’t you repeat your lines a couple more times?” 

Shen Xingsui genuinely thought about this “advice” for a second, before realizing that Fu Jinxiao was actually playing tricks on him. So his face turned red and he gave him a stinky eye.

‘Ah. He’s angry.’ Fu Jinxiao thought. 

fun fact: I was translating ch. 24~25 of my other series, , and there was a scene where the shou acted as a woman in the Journey of the West (the same arc too)! Crazy coincidence, I tell you.

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