CH 53

Wen Li's personality is typically strong when faced with strength and gentle when faced with softness.

If you are harsh to her, she becomes even harsher. If you treat her well, albeit reluctantly, she will learn to respond.

During high school, when Song Yan was cold towards her, she didn't bother getting close to him. She had an attitude of not caring about building a good relationship with him, although deep down, she was quite puzzled. She wasn't ugly. In fact, she was the #1 beauty art high school, where there were plenty of beautiful girls. Even though her temper wasn't good, she never vented her anger on Song Yan. Why did he dislike her so much?

But she limited her thoughts to her own mind and would never lower herself to ask him directly, wearing a face that said, "If you ignore me, I'll ignore you even more."

Things are different now.

Song Yan was no longer the icy senior. He would speak to her kindly and gently, so she couldn't maintain her haughty demeanor anymore.

He even asked her if it was possible.

Ha!

No way!

Drink more hot water and stop dreaming.

(￣へ￣)

This was her usual catchphrase; she repeated it in her mind while looking proud.

Song Yan could tell what she was thinking from her expression. Although it was expected, he still felt somewhat disappointed.

He patted her head and asked, "Shall we go over the lines again?"

Seeing that he had moved on from the ambiguous topic and wanted to focus on work, Wen Li couldn't resist. She quickly grabbed his hand, which was flipping through the script, and said without hesitation, "Yes! So, start liking me already!"

Her voice was clear and resolute, contrasting with her rock-solid tone. The straightforward answer made Wen Li realize that she wasn't being reserved, but the words had already come out, and she couldn't hide them anymore. She quickly let go of his hand, her gaze flickering, biting her lower lip, showing a mix of frustration and regret in her fluttering eyelashes.

Song Yan stared at her in a daze. When he tasted the flavor from her words and combined it with her expression, he felt that this girl was truly adorable. Every word and action seemed intentionally scratching at his heart.

He glanced at the camera in the training room, his voice hoarse, and discouraged, "You broke the rules again."

Wen Li, who wasn't paying attention to him, turned her head and asked, "Huh?"

Just as she finished saying "huh", the door of the training room was pushed open, and several staff members carrying equipment walked in confidently.

"Hello, teachers," The leading staff member spoke respectfully, "Did we interrupt your rehearsal?"

Song Yan was prepared for their arrival and wasn't surprised. He shook his head and chuckled, "No."

Wen Li almost forgot that they were in the training room and realized she was still working.

"...No."

So, even during private training, they weren't alone. There were staff members watching nearby.

"Are the microphones for the teachers okay?"

"They're fine. We turned them off briefly."

Wen Li quickly found the switch and turned on the microphone.

With someone watching nearby, she couldn't slack off and indulge in romantic thoughts. Wen Li adjusted her emotions and decided to save any personal conversations with Song Yan for later. It wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer. Their main task now was to quickly rehearse the play.

But the atmosphere just now had clearly revealed something to each other.

Women pursue men, like a veil between them.

Tch, men are so easy to pursue.

In the past, he would ignore her, but now he's gradually succumbing to her charm.

Wen Li was in a good mood and went to a corner to memorize her lines.

She and Song Yan have acted together a few times before for variety shows, but those were more focused on the entertainment value rather than the performance itself, so there wasn't much difficulty. However, this time it's different; she has to take it seriously.

Song Yan said she could treat him as Duan Hong, but Wen Li couldn't bear to shout at him repeatedly before she had memorized her lines. She planned to memorize her lines first before speaking to him.

Wen Li was clearly getting into character, while Song Yan seemed a bit distracted. The staff thought he was preparing for two different scripts and had trouble switching his mindset. They asked if he wanted to move one of the scripts to the final shooting of all performances.

Song Yan responded in a gentle tone, "It's not about the script."

He looked at Wen Li, who was facing the corner and reciting her lines.

In this scene, apart from the lengthy dialogue, it also required a high level of emotional intensity from the actors. So Wen Li was shouting at the corner of the room.

Her behavior looked a bit perplexing, which was why people say good actors were a bit crazy.

When Wen Li approached and said she had memorized all her lines, she asked if Song Yan had memorized his. It was the first time Song Yan doubted his professionalism.

"You haven't finished memorizing?" Wen Li looked incredulous, "Did you regress, or did I improve?"

Song Yan couldn't be bothered to explain and lowered his head to continue reading the script.

Suddenly, Wen Li had the upper hand in front of Song Yan. Of course, she wouldn't let go of this opportunity to show off. She intentionally sat down beside him, sitting close to him, playing the role of a helpful guide while sticking to him. It felt great.

"Which line are you stuck on? Shall I help you go through it?" she asked.

"..."

Some actors were good because they had rich life experiences, allowing them to empathize with their characters. Instead of acting, it was more like they were using their own experiences to tell stories to the audience. Wen Li, on the other hand, was carefree, emotionally dull, and had a straightforward approach to acting. Her outstanding acting skills were purely based on her talent.

She can quickly detach herself from the character and focus solely on the play, which Song Yan can't do.

He now feels like he's hanging on a wire, unable to move up or down, occasionally scratched by her, unsettled but helpless.

Wen Li had always been the one who could get a handle on him, even when they were young and now as they've grown up.

Can't afford to provoke, can't avoid it.

Song Yan stood up, "I'll go check on my junior brother next door."

Wen Li felt a bit disappointed but couldn't cling to him. After all, Ning Junxuan was still waiting for his senior brother next door.

And as a senior who has been in the industry for many years, she couldn't compete with a newcomer for a role.

"Oh, go ahead," Wen Li paused, remembering that she had rehearsed with Ning Junxuan for several hours yesterday, getting a grasp of his acting style. Thinking that she should let Song Yan familiarize himself, she said, "Ning Junxuan has talent, but maybe because he has such good external conditions, sometimes his expressions and movements are a bit stiff. You can give him some advice in that aspect when the time comes... remember to use a friendly tone..."

Before Wen Li could finish her sentence, Song Yan interrupted with a smile, "A strict teacher produces outstanding students."

"Hmm?" Wen Li nodded, "You're not wrong, but..."

Song Yan interrupted again, laughing, "I'll take care of it. Don't focus too much on others. Concentrate on preparing for your own performance."

Wen Li also felt that she was meddling too much. After all, she wasn't even sure if she could perform well herself. Why bother about others?

"Alright," She pursed her lips and tried to be generous, "I can handle it on my own. Don't worry about me and focus on teaching your junior brother."

Song Yan responded with a flat tone, "Understood."

After he left, the spacious training room was left with Wen Li and a group of staff members. Awkwardness filled the air for a few seconds, but Wen Li adjusted her mood and continued reciting her lines in front of the corner.

When Song Yan was here, she was particularly motivated. She quickly memorized the long lines, even faster than him. Now that Song Yan went to find his junior brother, she couldn't find the same enthusiasm facing the corner.

Wen Li couldn't help but wonder, it's strange. She used to act without Song Yan beside her, so how did she manage to persist all this while?

——

When it came to Ning Junxuan's side, Song Yan's condition visibly improved.

Their scene involved a physical fight, however, Ning Junxuan had limited experience with such scenes. As a rookie actor, he often made the mistake of not knowing how to handle actions and subtle expressions that were not explicitly indicated in the script. He was unsure of where to position his hands and feet during the fight.

Fortunately, Song Yan had extensive experience in this regard and provided him with a lot of guidance.

His fight scenes were honed under the guidance of several prominent directors. Whether it was bare-knuckle fighting in a modern setting or swordplay in an ancient backdrop, his movements were powerful, aesthetically pleasing, and executed crisply. He looked incredibly impressive on camera.

After completing the scene, Ning Junxuan learned many things that he couldn't have learned in school.

During the break, the staff brought them each a bottle of water.

Because of the intense fight just now, Ning Junxuan felt that even the way Song Yan tilted his head to drink water was incredibly masculine.

Feeling the gaze from his junior brother, Song Yan turned his head and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly understood why Senior Brother, you have more action scenes," Ning Junxuan was caught peeking but didn't feel embarrassed. He smiled openly and said, "Those moves are just so cool. I almost got mesmerized by them."

Song Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled along, "So, the scene you had with Teacher Wen yesterday, which was a dialogue scene, also left you mesmerized?"

"Ah?" Ning Junxuan honestly replied, "That's because when I was acting opposite Teacher Wen Li yesterday, the way she looked at me was... um..."

He suddenly realized something and quickly waved his hands to explain, "No, no, it wasn't mesmerization. It was me being captivated by Teacher Wen Li's acting skills!"

Song Yan nodded with a smile, "I see. Well then," he put down the water bottle, "Since Teacher Wen Li is alone over there, shall we rehearse quickly?"

Ning Junxuan, despite his still-sore arms, stood up and answered loudly, "Okay!"

——

When Wen Li came over to take a look, Song Yan and Ning Junxuan were wrestling on the ground.

She was momentarily taken aback. She wondered, rather shamelessly, "They're not fighting because of me, are they?" Then, as she looked around at the group of staff members who were merely spectating without intervening, she realized they were just acting.

She really needed to change this self-centered, narcissistic habit of hers.

As soon as Ning Junxuan saw Wen Li arrive, he immediately snapped out of his emotions and greeted her while lying on the ground, "Teacher Wen, you're here?"

She couldn't say that she came here looking for Song Yan, so Wen Li nodded and said, "Yes, I came to see how your rehearsal is going."

"Then let's start from the beginning," Ning Junxuan turned his head and asked Song Yan, "Is it alright, Senior Brother?"

Song Yan replied, "Sure."

Wen Li's assessment was accurate. Ning Junxuan was a talented newcomer. As long as someone provided guidance, he quickly grasped the nuances of acting.

Watching the two of them act, Wen Li first looked at Ning Junxuan. He was Song Yan's junior brother and had a similar appearance to Song Yan, but he was younger and brimming with vitality, radiating a sense of energy.

Wen Li couldn't help but think of the past Song Yan.

Back then, although Song Yan had a cold demeanor, he was overall a youthful and normal high school student.

Once, when Wen Li went to their school to find Bai Sen, she happened to encounter a friendly basketball match between Bai Sen's class and the neighboring class. Curious, Wen Li decided to watch.

Among the basketball players, Bai Sen and Song Yan stood out the most.

Song Yan was a well-behaved student focused on his studies, rarely participating in outdoor activities, which made his skin fairer than the other boys'.

He made a three-pointer, high-fived his teammates, and under the sunlight, Wen Li saw him smile.

So, this person can smile too.

Wen Li thought to herself. He always had a serious expression when looking at her, so she had mistakenly believed Song Yan to be expressionless.

It turned out that he treated her differently, not smiling only at her.

On the basketball court, many girls held mineral water bottles waiting on the sidelines. When Bai Sen's friends saw Wen Li approaching, they started teasing him. The girls at the court felt a sense of crisis, fearing that she might snatch the opportunity to bring water to Bai Sen. Bai Sen's friends urged her to go buy water for Bai Sen, annoying Wen Li to no end. She reluctantly went to a small supermarket to buy water for Bai Sen.

When it came time to pay, she suddenly thought of buying water for everyone. After all, if the narcissistic Bai Sen thought she liked him, it would be even more impossible to cancel the engagement.

She bought several bottles of water in one go, enough for Bai Sen and his teammates to share.

As expected, when Wen Li handed out the water to each person, the other boys were pleasantly surprised and jokingly said to Bai Sen, "Brother Sen, don't be jealous. The water your fiancée gave us is just a friendly gesture."

Bai Sen rolled his eyes, not paying any attention to the matter at all, and casually said to Wen Li, "You're quite generous with your love, huh."

Wen Li couldn't be bothered to respond to him and handed the last bottle of water to Song Yan.

Unlike the others who were joking and smiling, Song Yan didn't put on a playful expression. When he took the water and accidentally touched her hand, his fingertips trembled, and the bottle of water slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

Wen Li was startled, but he quickly picked up the water and whispered a thank you to her.

After a whole game, Song Yan was drenched in sweat, with flushed cheeks and pale, cracked lips. But he never touched the water she bought for him.

At that time, Wen Li thought Song Yan had a cleanliness obsession and didn't want to drink the water after it fell on the ground. She complained about him being as troublesome as some girls in her class.

But Bai Sen told her that Song Yan didn't have a cleanliness obsession.

Unable to figure out why Song Yan refused to drink the water, Wen Li became even more annoyed. She became more certain that Song Yan simply disliked her and would rather die of thirst than drink the water she bought for him.

Eighteen-year-old Song Yan was full of youthfulness, tall and handsome, but he detested Wen Li.

Wen Li snapped back to reality. The proud her suddenly didn't want to reminisce about the teenage Song Yan anymore.

The current Song Yan was better, more mature, and gentlemanly. Most importantly, he didn't dislike her anymore.

By this time, Ning Junxuan and Song Yan were already wrestling on the ground. When men interacted, they didn't avoid as much contact. They touched hands and feet. When Song Yan pinned Ning Junxuan to the ground and delivered his lines with a menacing voice, their noses almost touched.

To prevent Ning Junxuan from struggling, Song Yan used his knee against Ning Junxuan's thigh and held his chin. Because he used force, the veins on the fair back of his hand stood out. Watching this scene, Wen Li inexplicably started thinking in a crooked direction.

Song Yan did the same thing to her in bed many times, pinning her down and holding her chin, speaking in a low but not very menacing voice.

"..."

During this period, their schedules were packed. Even though they slept in the same bed every day, they were tired during the day, and by evening, they just fell asleep without thinking about anything else, let alone doing anything.

In this scene, as Wen Li watched Ning Junxuan, she immersed herself in it and suddenly felt a bit jealous.

With this thought in her mind, Wen Li became restless, quickly stood up, and took deep breaths.

Just as the scene finished, Ning Junxuan stood up and humbly asked Wen Li for advice, "Teacher Wen Li, how was my performance just now?"

Wen Li, who had been daydreaming the whole time and didn't pay serious attention to the play, avoided eye contact and nodded randomly, "It was good. I'll go back first and review the lines."

After saying that, she turned around and left.

Ning Junxuan looked at Wen Li's almost fleeing actions, puzzled, "What's wrong with Teacher Wen Li?"

From the beginning to the end, Wen Li had been staring at Ning Junxuan intently, but when he asked her, she didn't dare to look at him and quickly fled.

Song Yan clenched his jaw and muttered, "I don't know."

Ning Junxuan sensed that something was wrong with Song Yan again and wondered if he had performed poorly. Was neither of them satisfied?

He felt deflated all of a sudden and thought melancholically if he was really not cut out for this industry. Should he switch careers and become an internet celebrity at the MSN company?

Later, after rehearsing a few more scenes with Song Yan, Ning Junxuan noticed that not only himself but even his senior brother seemed preoccupied and not in the right state.

They continued rehearsing until late in the evening when the guests were ready to return to the hotel to rest.

On the way back to the hotel, Wen Li and Song Yan, who were sitting in the same car, clearly had different thoughts. They didn't communicate throughout the journey and no one knew what they were thinking.

They didn't take the car arranged by the variety show team, which meant they didn't want to record the show tonight. They just wanted to rest in their private space. The variety show team understood that they were exhausted from a day of filming, so there was no one else in the chauffeured car, and there were no cameras. Only their respective assistants, Wen Wen and Ah Kang, were present.

Both assistants were aware of their respective artists' situations, so theoretically, they didn't need to be discreet if they wanted to say something.

Wen Wen in the front passenger seat exchanged a glance with Ah Kang.

"What's wrong with your brother?" Wen Wen asked.

At a red light intersection, Ah Kang shook his head and glanced at Wen Wen.

"What's wrong with your sister?" he asked.

The two assistants looked at each other in confusion.

At that moment, Song Yan's phone rang, breaking the silence in the car.

Song Yan opened his eyes and used one hand to support his chin as he took out his phone. It was a voice message from Ning Junxuan.

He opened it, and the voice message played aloud.

"Senior brother, I feel like I don't quite understand the emotions in a certain line. Have you rested? Could you help me take a look?"

Wen Li also opened her eyes, tugging at her lips as she asked, "Your junior brother is still rehearsing. Why aren't you staying there to accompany him? Is that how you act as a senior brother, Song Yan?"

Song Yan retorted, "Are you really so concerned about him?"

Wen Li pursed her lips. "No, I just noticed that your performance during rehearsal with him was much better than when rehearsing with me. With me, you couldn't even remember the lines properly."

"You even pinned him to the ground, your noses were almost touching."

"So, you're not concerned about him?" Song Yan smiled, "Then why were you staring at him the whole time during rehearsal?"

Wen Li also laughed, "Well, you were teaching him how to act, getting so close to him. But when it comes to rehearsing with me, you can't even concentrate on the lines!"

Song Yan remained calm, "Why couldn't I concentrate? Wen Li, you bear a great responsibility."

Wen Li was puzzled, "I was talking to you about your junior brother, but you're trying to divert the focus?"

"I am talking to you about my junior brother. It's you who's trying to divert the focus," Song Yan retorted.

"Fine, you say I'm diverting the focus. Then let me get straight to the point," Wen Li took a deep breath, disregarding any concerns about dignity. She spoke rapidly and articulately, accusing every word, "The point is, you treat your junior brother better than me. You show favoritism."

"I show favoritism?" Song Yan squinted at her and calmly countered, "Who exactly was showing favoritism to my junior brother between me and you?"

"You're being evasive!" Wen Li exclaimed.

"And you're the one being evasive," Song Yan replied.

Suddenly, Ah Kang honked the car horn, and both Wen Li and Song Yan fell silent. At that moment, Wen Wen cautiously turned her head and spoke in a flattering tone, "Sister, Teacher Song, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

Wen Li sighed, "If you have something to say, then say it. If not, keep quiet."

"In that case, I'll say it," Wen Wen took a deep breath and spoke rapidly without any pauses, "We're all adults here. Can't we just say that I'm jealous? And it seems like you both are jealous of the same person. Oh my God, I'm about to die laughing. Don't you think you're both acting so childish?"

With that, Wen Wen shrunk back her head, fearing the consequences, swallowed nervously, and weakly said, "I've said my piece. You can continue arguing."

"..."

"..."

Looking at the colorful expressions on Wen Li's and Song Yan's faces through the rearview mirror, Wen Wen sadly concluded that her career as an assistant was most likely coming to an end.