The venue fell silent, and everyone's eyes were focused on the two of them.

Chen Yu crossed his arms, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Su Qian sat up straight, staring intently at Lu Yao, seemingly trying to observe how the screenwriter would interpret the character she had created.

Xie Linyu is now Ling Mo.

He slightly raised his chin, his eyes sharp and cold.

"You think I'll be grateful to you like this?" His voice was hoarse and mocking. "Delivering medicine and food every day, acting like a savior—do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

Lu Qing did not answer immediately, but just looked at him quietly.

Her gaze was calm, and this calmness only served to highlight how manic Ling Mo was.

"The wound is healing well," she said, her gaze lingering on the wound on his arm. Her voice was soft. "The stitches can be removed in two more days."

She continued doing her work as if she hadn't heard his question, completely unconcerned about what he was thinking.

Ling Mo's eyes reddened from being provoked by her ignored reaction.

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Lu Qing by the neck, knocking her to the ground.

Lu Qing was pressed heavily onto the cold floor by him. The dull pain from the impact on her back made her groan and her brows furrow slightly.

Xie Linyu's hand loosely gripped her slender neck, without actually applying force, but the taut knuckles and the bulging veins on the back of his hand revealed Ling Mo's near-out-of-control anger and despair.

He loomed over her, his blond hair falling in disarray, his blue eyes bloodshot as he stared intently at her, his heavy, hot breath spraying onto her face.

Everyone on the sidelines held their breath.

Chen Yu's eyes widened, and his body leaned forward slightly.

Su Qian covered her mouth, not daring to make a sound, but her eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement.

She even unconsciously clenched her fists, shouting in her heart, "Oh my god, this is so exciting, so exhilarating! Kiss her, kiss her, torture her! Ahhhhh!"

Lu Yao could clearly feel the tension emanating from Xie Linyu's body. Her heart pounded, partly from the tension caused by the oppressive posture, and partly from being completely drawn into Lu Qing's state of mind.

She didn't struggle, or even try to push him away.

After the initial pain from the impact subsided, she relaxed her body and let herself lie on the floor.

Her gaze toward Ling Mo was calm, even tender, as if she were looking at a wounded beast struggling in pain.

Ling Mo's fingers tightened slightly on her neck.

Don't look at me like that. I don't need your pity or sympathy. Don't bestow your favors on me. I will never forgive you!

If killing me brings you peace, I won't blame you.

Ling Mo met her gaze with red eyes, trying to see struggle and fear in her eyes, but there was nothing there.

He clenched his other fist and slammed it hard on the floor beside her head with a dull thud. The floor seemed to tremble.

Lu Qing's eyelashes trembled as he looked at his wound, which had just healed, and blood flowed down as it reopened.

Then she heard Ling Mo hoarsely ask her: "Who are you? You're not her!"

Lu Qing's pupils suddenly dilated and contracted, and a crack finally appeared on his calm expression.

Xie Linyu suddenly released his grip, smiled, moved aside, and reached out to help Lu Yao, who was lying on the ground, up: "Sorry, sorry, I didn't scare you just now, did I?"

Lu Yao used his strength to stand up, watching Xie Linyu naturally switch back to that slightly lazy, playful expression, as if the "Ling Mo" who was on the verge of collapse with bloodshot eyes just now was just everyone's illusion.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the strange feeling brought on by "Lu Qing," steadied herself, and shook her head: "It's nothing."

His voice was a little hoarse, and he subconsciously cleared his throat.

"Fantastic! Fantastic, both of you!" Chen Yu rushed over excitedly, patting Xie Linyu's shoulder forcefully. "The emotional shift at the end, 'Who are you?', was brilliant! Ling Mo, amidst extreme anger and collapse, managed to catch a hint of something amiss, and Lu Qing's instantaneous change in pupils was perfectly executed! It's even more nuanced than what's written in the script!"

Su Qian ran over, her face flushed with excitement: "Sister Lu Yao, your last expression was amazing! It was that feeling of shock when your secret is exposed, but then you quickly try to cover it up! And Actor Xie, your eyes were so scary, yet so captivating, like you wanted to love but dared not. I'm starting to ship you two!"

She sounded a little embarrassed at the end, but the admiration in her eyes was almost overflowing.

Xie Linyu accepted the praise with a smile, but his gaze kept drifting to Lu Yao. Seeing her shy smile, he felt a warm, throbbing sensation in his chest, as if something was about to grow out of his heart.

"Actor Xie did a great job leading the way; his emotions were so on point that I was unconsciously drawn into it. It was all my subconscious reaction. But Su Qian, do you understand the feeling I'm looking for now?"

Lu Yao hadn't forgotten why she had to fight with Xie Linyu; it was to portray Su Qian as the kind of person the female lead was.

Su Qian nodded: "I understand, Sister Lu Yao."

Xiao Chen handed over water and a towel at the right time.

Lu Yao took the water and drank a sip. The icy liquid slid down her throat, completely waking her up.

She looked at Xie Linyu and said sincerely, "You acted so well, I really felt like 'Ling Mo' was looking right at me."

Xie Linyu wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead and raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "You did a good job. I was just going with the flow and thought that 'Ling Mo' might instinctively feel that something was wrong in that state. Your pupil dilation and the subtle changes in your expression were very well reflected. You actually have a lot of acting talent."

Lu Yao chuckled: "Stop praising me. Even if you do, I won't change careers to become an actress. I really can't make a living from this."

Chen Yu clapped his hands with a smile: "Alright, you two take a break. Su Qian will do it again later, and then Movie Emperor Xie can lend a hand?"

Su Qian looked on with hope, and Xie Linyu nodded without refusing.

Chen Yu immediately said, "With the movie star Xie personally acting alongside you, Su Qian, you should perform well. After this movie is released, you'll definitely take your career to the next level."

"I will work hard and will definitely live up to everyone's expectations."

Afterwards, Chen Yu pulled Su Qian aside and analyzed the plot again.

Lu Yao sat down to one side, and unconsciously frowned as she raised her hand. Xie Linyu, who had walked over, noticed and asked, "What's wrong? Did I hit you too hard just now?"

Lu Yao instinctively wanted to deny it, but the dull pain in her back made her movements slightly sluggish.

"It's nothing serious," she smiled to cover up her embarrassment. "It was probably just a bit of a hard bump. I'll be fine after a rest."

Xie Linyu frowned slightly and turned to Xiao Chen, saying, "Go to my car and get the first-aid kit. There's an emergency spray and ointment inside."

Xiao Chen responded and quickly ran away.

"No need for that..." Lu Yao tried to stop her.

"It's no trouble at all," Xie Linyu said firmly, with a hint of self-reproach in his voice. "It was my fault for not controlling my strength. Even though it was just acting, I couldn't have really hurt you."

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like