Huayu Entertainment: It was the young actress who took the initiative.

For the next two days, Chen Mo left home at eight o'clock every morning and arrived at the Bird's Nest before nine o'clock.

The rehearsals were quite intense.

However, Chen Mo has maintained a very good condition. With the support of the attributes of "proficient in music" and "fitness expert", he can maintain a good level of professional ability and physical condition.

In terms of dance, his rapport with the dance troupe improved rapidly with each day of practice.

Zhang Yue's progress in the past two days has been quite noticeable.

She was a little nervous on the first day of rehearsal; although her movements were standard, they were also cautious and reserved.

By the next day, the tension had subsided considerably, and the physical contact with Chen Mo became much smoother.

On the morning of the third day, the sky over Beijing was exceptionally clear.

Chen Mo's car arrived at the entrance around nine o'clock as usual. He got out of the car, wearing a black mask and a baseball cap.

Just as I was about to walk in, I caught a glimpse of a girl standing next to the steps on the side of the entrance.

She was wearing a loose white shirt and light blue jeans.

Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders, swaying gently in the morning breeze.

Her features were delicate and cold, with a faint sense of aloofness between her brows and eyes, but her lips were slightly pursed.

She held the phone to her ear for a moment, then frowned and took it down; clearly, the call hadn't gone through.

Chen Mo paused for a moment.

He recognized her.

Chen Yao.

He also watched "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" when it was popular, and he was deeply impressed by Yue Qiluo, who was dressed in red with black hair and had a sweet yet chilling smile.

At that time, Chen Yao had just entered university. She had a baby face with bangs and round eyes, and looked like a delicate porcelain doll.

But the girl standing beside the steps was completely different from the "Yao Mei" I remembered—

Her features have matured, and the childishness in her eyes and brows has faded, replaced by a mature and sophisticated aura.

So many years have passed, why do I feel like Chen Yao has changed a bit?

He never expected to see her here.

Chen Yao dialed the number for the third time, but still no one answered.

She sighed, looked up at the entrance, and seemed to hesitate about whether to go in directly.

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However, there were security personnel on duty at the entrance, and since she didn't have a work permit, she would most likely be stopped if she went over rashly.

Just as she hesitated, she caught a glimpse of someone walking towards her out of the corner of her eye. She instinctively turned her head, then froze.

Chen Mo stopped two steps in front of her, reached out and took off his mask, revealing the face that had appeared countless times on various screens and variety shows.

He looked even thinner than on TV, with broad shoulders and his eyes and brows appearing particularly deep in the morning light.

"Are you going in?" Chen Mo asked her.

Chen Yao's mind went blank for a moment.

She instinctively exclaimed "Ah!" before realizing what she had just heard, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Teacher Chen... Teacher Chen Mo?!"

Her voice rose, filled with obvious surprise and unease.

She never expected to meet Chen Mo in this way.

Chen Mo found her covering her mouth and glaring at him somewhat incongruous with her current appearance:

"Yes, it's me. Are you going in?"

Chen Yao tried her best to make her expression look normal.

She nodded:

"Yes, I'm going in to visit my friend... Her name is Zhang Yue, she's your backup dancer. But I can't reach her, she's probably practicing and hasn't checked her phone..."

She spoke faster than usual when she said this, with a hint of panic in her voice.

Chen Yao is known for her emotional stability and slow, deliberate speech in front of acquaintances.

But standing in front of Chen Mo at this moment, she found herself unconsciously becoming a little nervous.

"Zhang Yue."

Chen Mo nodded. "She's been practicing quite diligently these past two days, so she probably hasn't noticed. Come in with me."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the entrance, and Chen Yao quickly followed him.

She walked to a position slightly behind Chen Mo.

Chen Mo nodded to the security personnel at the entrance, and they immediately let him through.

"How long have you known her?"

Chen Mo chatted as he walked inside.

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We met while filming in 2020.

Chen Yao answered, her tone becoming slightly more natural.

"Oh, that's been two or three years."

"She told me about the rehearsal before, so I thought I'd come and take a look."

Chen Yao thought for a moment and added, "Give her some encouragement while you're at it."

Chen Mo nodded and didn't say anything more.

Chen Yao walked behind, secretly observing Chen Mo's back.

He walks with his back very straight, and his shoulders are broad but have smooth lines.

She looks to have a great figure!

Teacher Chen Mo must be very self-disciplined.

She looked away and sighed silently to herself.

The two of them turned two corners along the corridor and arrived at the backstage area.

The door to the rehearsal hall was half open.

Zhang Yue is practicing with the other members of the backup dancers.

Chen Yao stood at the door without saying a word, watching quietly.

The dance ended, and the music stopped.

Zhang Yue was just about to get some water when she turned around and saw two people standing at the door.

Chen Mo and Chen Yao stood there side by side.

Zhang Yue paused for a moment, then quickly walked over:

"Yaoyao? Didn't you say you'd be late? Why...?"

She turned her gaze to Chen Mo, "Teacher Chen Mo?"

"I ran into her at the door. She couldn't contact you, so I brought her in."

Zhang Yue quickly thanked Chen Mo:

"Thank you, Teacher Chen Mo. Yao Yao is my friend. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

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"It's no trouble at all."

Chen Mo waved his hand, "The person has been brought. You two can chat."

After saying that, he nodded to the two people and turned to walk towards the stage.

Chen Yao looked at Zhang Yue, who still looked puzzled, and began to explain:

"After I arrived, I messaged and called you but no one answered. I was worried about it when Teacher Chen Mo got out of the car, saw me standing at the door, and asked if I wanted to go in."

I told him I was here to see him, and he said, "Then come in with me."

"You're incredibly lucky! You only stayed at the door for a short while and ran into him?"

"Maybe he just happened to be passing by."

Chen shrugged. "Besides, they're just here for rehearsals, so the odds are actually pretty high."

"So I was right to answer the phone even though I didn't."

Zhang Yue chuckled, "If I were out to pick you up, we wouldn't have had this chance to bump into each other."

Chen Yao was amused by her:

"You're quite good at making excuses for yourself."

As the two were talking, a staff member poked his head out from the passageway and called out:

"The backup dancers are getting ready to go on stage for rehearsal. We'll start in ten minutes."

Zhang Yue responded and patted Chen Yao on the shoulder:

"Come with us to the side of the stage and take a look."

"OK."

Chen Yao gave her a thumbs-up.

When Zhang Yue went on stage, Chen Yao sat in the chair next to her.

She picked up the snacks she had prepared in advance from the canvas bag, slowly tore them open, and began to eat.

Rehearsals have already begun.

The stage lights came on, and melodies flowed from the speakers.

Chen Mo stood in the center of the stage, looking clean and refreshing, but when he stood in the light, he had an aura that made it impossible to look away.

The first poem is "Wish and Sorrow".

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The piano intro echoed in the empty venue. When Chen Mo sang the first line, Chen Yao's hand, which was holding snacks, unconsciously paused for a moment.

wow~

It sounds so good!

Chen Yao watched Chen Mo dance on the stage, his movements naturally blending into the rhythm of the music.

For the rest of the time, she stood quietly beside the audience area and watched.

During her breaks, Zhang Yue would come and chat with Chen Yao for a while.

Chen Yao handed over the snacks in her hand.

Zhang Yue took it, took a bite, and mumbled a sigh:

"How is it? Pretty good, right?"

"Um."

Chen Yao nodded. "It really sounds good."

The afternoon rehearsal lasted for nearly four hours.

In the latter half, when "My Dear You" played, Chen Yao listened with exceptional focus from below the stage.

The melody of this song is very simple, and the instrumentation is clean. The guitar chords are the foundation, and Chen Mo's voice adds a gentle narrative feel.

The lyrics aren't about any grand themes; they're just about the small, warm moments in everyday life.

As Chen Yao listened, a feeling of tenderness welled up in her heart.

She felt a lump in her throat, unsure whether she was moved by the melody, the lyrics, or by Chen Mo's relaxed yet sincere way of expressing himself.

She blinked quickly twice to suppress the slight sourness in her eyes.

The day's rehearsals ended around 6 p.m.

The lights dimmed, the sound system was turned off, and the staff began packing up the equipment.

Chen Yao took out another packet of cookies from the canvas bag and handed it to her.

Zhang Yue took it, tore it open, and was about to put it in her mouth when a voice came from behind her.

"Are you two busy later?"

The two of them turned their heads at the same time.

Chen Mo walked down the steps from the side of the stage and stood in front of them:

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"Rehearsal's over. If you don't have any plans, how about we grab something to eat?"

Zhang Yue blinked twice, clearly not expecting Chen Mo to take the initiative to invite her.

She subconsciously turned to look at Chen Yao, who also looked like she hadn't reacted yet, still holding the half-opened bag of cookies in her hand, completely stunned.

Chen Mo looked at the two people's identical bewildered expressions and chuckled:

"What, aren't you hungry?"

Zhang Yue was the first to snap out of her daze and nodded quickly:

"Hungry! Of course I'm hungry!"

As she spoke, she stuffed the remaining cookies into her mouth and mumbled an additional sentence.

"Yaoyao is hungry too; she keeps saying she's hungry."

Chen Yao nodded:

"Mmm, I'm hungry."

"Let's go then."

Zhang Yue grabbed Chen Yao's wrist and followed her forward.

After getting into the car, Chen Mo turned to look at the two girls in the back seat:

"What would you like to eat?"

Zhang Yue and Chen Yao exchanged a glance and spoke almost simultaneously:

Sichuan hot pot.

You two are really in sync; Chen Mo directly asked the two girls to give him their address.

Wait for the car to start.

Chen Yao seemed to remember something and said:

"I recently had dinner with Lianxin to celebrate her great performance in 'My Heroic Husband'~"

Chen Mo hadn't expected her to have a good relationship with Hu Lianxin, so he asked:

How did you and Lianxin meet?

"We filmed 'Fox Spirit Matchmaker' together last year."

Listening to their conversation, Zhang Yue rested her chin on her hand and remarked with a sigh:

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"I really envy those who become famous because of a role. I... I finally became famous for a role, but I ended up being criticized by the entire internet."

Her words were somewhat self-deprecating, but they lacked any sense of resentment or grievance; rather, they were stating a fact she had already accepted.

Chen Mo glanced at her sideways:

"Is this Versailles?"

Zhang Yue was stunned for a moment:

"what?"

"So many people want to be famous for being infamous but can't."

"Being criticized for a character's personality means you acted well; the audience hates the character because they feel a strong connection to the role."

Do you think every actor has the ability to portray a villain in a way that makes the audience hate them to the core?

Moreover, the exposure you got from the role of Lin Youyou must have brought you quite a few subsequent job opportunities, right?

Zhang Yue remained silent for a few seconds after hearing this.

She had indeed been troubled by this matter for a long time and had never thought about the problem from this perspective.

What Chen Mo said didn't seem to be wrong—

Although Lin Youyou made her a target of intense criticism, the popularity of that role did bring her many opportunities she never dared to dream of before.

Even today, standing on the stage at the Bird's Nest to dance as a backup dancer for Chen Mo.

She suddenly felt that the weight that had been pressing on her heart had loosened a little.

"...What Teacher Chen Mo said seems to make sense."

Zhang Yue whispered something, then turned to look at Chen Yao.

"Yaoyao, don't you think so?"

Chen Yao had been listening quietly to the sound of the music, and only then did she speak:

"That's true. If you look at it from another angle, many people don't even have the chance to be criticized, but at least you've made a lasting impression."

Zhang Yue felt much better after being comforted by the two of them, and she leaned back in her chair and grinned.

"Alright, then I'll consider 'Lin Youyou' as one of my representative works from now on."

The car stopped in front of the hot pot restaurant.

The waiter led the three people to a private room.

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After the three people sat down, they started ordering food.

The two girls wanted Chen Mo to order, but Chen Mo gestured for them to order.

Zhang Yue then enthusiastically checked off items on the menu, ordering seven or eight items in one go: beef slices, tripe, duck intestines, beef aorta, and shrimp paste.

Chen Yao added a few vegetarian dishes to the menu: bamboo shoots, lotus root slices, potatoes, lettuce, and finally ordered a brown sugar glutinous rice cake as dessert.

When the pot was served, the red oil was bubbling and releasing a rich, spicy aroma.

The three of them chatted while eating.

As Zhang Yue ate, she started talking non-stop, chatting about everything from funny stories from rehearsals to her recent filming experiences.

Chen Yao listened quietly from the side, occasionally chiming in with a few words.

Chen Mo noticed how fast Chen Yao was eating.

She sat there quietly and ate slowly, but her chopsticks never stopped moving throughout the meal.

She was very focused when she ate, and her expression showed a sense of contentment and peace.

Chen Mo looked at her for a while, then couldn't help but laugh:

"Yaoyao, you have quite an appetite."

Chen Yao is cooking tripe:

"I don't know why, but I eat four meals a day, and sometimes I even have a late-night snack. But thankfully, I don't gain much weight no matter how much I eat."

Zhang Yue let out a wail from the side:

"You know you'll get beaten up at Versailles if you keep doing this? I eat a couple more bites of hot pot and I gain two pounds the next day."

"It's probably a matter of physical constitution."

Chen Yao picked up a piece of cooked tripe and put it in her mouth. "My mom does it the same way."

Looking at her composed demeanor, Chen Mo felt that this girl indeed possessed a unique sense of clarity.

The hot pot meal lasted almost two hours.

As I stepped out of the hot pot restaurant, the night breeze blew in my face.

Chen Mo added Chen Yao on WeChat.

He added "Chen Yao" as her contact name; her profile picture was a cat basking in the sun on a windowsill.

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