Uneasy daily life

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Excellent Acting!

On the set of the advertisement shoot, the staff were busy. The lead actor and two other people with their families sat on portable chairs discussing the shoot. On the table was a prop from the client—a bottle of ice-cold beverage.

Announcement item: A beverage advertisement.

Scene: On a sweltering summer day, under the blazing sun, a beautiful young woman sits on a bench waiting for someone. Fine beads of sweat appear on her forehead as she fanns her face to cool down. Just then, a tram roars past on the tracks, the air currents lifting her long hair and revealing her flawless profile. Someone calls out and runs towards her. The young woman's eyes brighten, and she turns her head with surprise and delight, her face showing the shy joy of first love. She catches a drink tossed to her from off-camera, then delivers a quick commercial.

Advertising slogan: Fresh and sweet, enjoy summer to the fullest.

Experts' comments: The concept is mediocre, the dialogue is retro and lacks innovation. The plot and performance are not dramatic. The shortcomings are too numerous to count. It is unremarkable among many advertisements. The advantage is that it is obviously trying to sell the popularity of celebrities and highlighting that I am honest and deserve praise. This is what is meant by "without my low profile, how can you have your high profile?"

Conclusion: The store manager does not recommend it.

"In this light, those who can deliver awkward lines and make bizarre movements without batting an eye are social terrorists. They use 'it's all acting' as an excuse to perform and cover up their nonexistent bottom line. All those love triangles, divorce dramas, and relationship messy situations in TV dramas and movies are gradually becoming real-life amusement—this is the fatal prophecy of Greek mythology!"

Bai Ying spoke with absolute certainty.

Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) nodded seriously and said, "That's right, Haku-kun's self-positioning is very clear."

"..." Sakurajima Mai (Waka)'s gaze was deep and unfathomable. She had reason to suspect that the bastard was talking nonsense. "As an entertainer, creating entertainment value is your job..."

"It's definitely not your sister who wanted to wear a little skirt, twirl around, and then 'biu' (bullet) claim the bullet would pierce your heart..."

Control yourself! We're outside! People are watching!

Sakurajima Mai (Wahana) struggled with the choice between eliminating the white shadow and playing the role of her older sister, ultimately choosing to smile and reply, "You're absolutely right!"

"Speaking of which..." Bai Ying stroked her chin and asked, "Mai, have you ever filmed any embarrassing or funny commercials?"

My sister's resume? I know that by heart!

Mai Sakurajima (Wahana)'s eyes brightened slightly as she calmly said, "There are no shameful or fun advertisements; they are all work that needs to be taken seriously."

"The world isn't lacking in fun, it's lacking in eyes that can see it." Bai Ying excitedly pulled out her phone. "There definitely is! Those toothpaste ads that say 'Intense coolness, let me touch your teeth,' and game ads that say 'One hit for 999 damage, dominate the whole server, wear god-tier gear without spending a penny'..."

“Ahem, Ms. Sakurajima is a talented actress.” Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) corrected her. “The kind of interesting advertisements that Shiramaki mentioned, which can spark discussion and spread quickly, are actually excellent products, and they are not so easy to come by.”

"You lack imagination."

Bai Ying shook her head and said, "Take that campus romance comedy you mentioned before—first, when it rains, the male and female leads only have one umbrella after school and have to share it to go home. This kind of plot is a bit deliberately old-fashioned. Then there's the plot of passing notes in class. Generally speaking, classmates are often not so easy to talk to. They prefer to intercept each other halfway, tossing paper balls around and playing a paper ball basketball game..."

"It's boring, incredibly reckless, and rude." Mai Sakurajima (Wahana) sharply criticized Bai Ying's over-the-top performance, saying, "Only you could do something like that."

Bai Ying scoffed, "How could I possibly do something so outrageous? I would only make slight modifications to the note."

That's even worse!

Bai Ying gave an example: "This advertisement is too mediocre. Now there are special effects, right? What if it wasn't a tram coming along the track?"

"What else could it be?" Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) tried to keep up with her thoughts. "A ship?"

Mai Sakurajima (Waka) chimes in: "An airplane?"

"drinks."

Yukinoshita Yukino (Mai): "?"

Mai Sakurajima (Wahana): "?"

On a sweltering summer day, under the blazing sun, a beautiful young woman sat on a bench waiting for someone. Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead as she fanned her face to cool down. Suddenly, she heard a splashing sound of liquid. Looking up, she saw a huge, horizontally placed bottle of beverage hurtling down the track, wisps of cool air rising from its surface. The refreshing liquid swayed and bubbled within, speeding across the track and leaving a trail of coolness in its wake…

interesting.

At the table, the director stood with his hands folded, silently offering his critique.

"Of course, this kind of plot is still a bit mediocre. It's an advertisement, after all, striving to cram the most dramatic twists and turns, and an explosive feeling that defies common sense, into the shortest amount of time!" Bai Ying raised her nostrils and looked at the two of them. "Based on this, what are your thoughts?"

Mai Sakurajima (Wahana) rolled her eyes: "No."

“Hmm…” Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) pondered for a moment and came up with an idea, “After the drink whizzes past on the tracks, the sweaty heroine runs after it, shouting things like ‘Don’t go!’ And the advertising slogan could be something like ‘Chasing the feeling of summer’?”

“Not enough!” Bai Ying commented sharply. “If it were up to your idea, the lines should be ‘XX drink! XX drink! Don’t go! How can I live without you!’ and the advertising slogans should be ‘XX drink, making Sakurajima Mai chase after you’ and ‘I am the coolness you can’t have’…”

Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) suspected that there was something hidden in his words.

Mai Sakurajima (Wahana) commented sharply, "It feels so tacky."

Bai Ying sneered, "If you're so capable, then don't turn on the air conditioner or drink cold drinks in the summer. Let's see how long you can last!"

Mai Sakurajima (Wahana): "..."

Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) laughed and said, "The fact that you can pitch a tent in the park means you don't need air conditioning, right?"

Bai Ying reached for the drink on the table, unscrewed it, and took a sip: "Not having air conditioning and not using air conditioning are two different things, just like not needing it and not having money are two different reasons."

"What do you think of the storyline for the advertisement, Haku-kun?" Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) asked. "It must be a refreshing idea."

"If I were to do it..."

Bai Ying's gaze drifted slightly into emptiness.

The weather was scorching hot, yet my hands and feet were icy cold. My heart sank deeper and deeper, unable to find its bottom. The chill spread upwards from the soles of my feet, through my legs, making them weak; through my stomach, causing it to cramp and ache; through my chest, making it feel heavy and oppressive; through my throat, making it feel like it was twisted shut, unable to utter a sound. It climbed over my numb cheeks, spilling a little from the corners of my eyes, and finally took root in my blank mind.

The grief overwhelmed her so quickly that she didn't even have time to react.

Let's break up; you're not sweet enough.

The screen fell limply to his side as his hand went limp. Fine beads of sweat clung to his forehead, indistinguishable between cold and hot sweat.

The plainly dressed, slightly disheveled girl with no smile cast a somewhat vacant gaze toward the street.

She started running, flashing all sorts of sugar, candy, and ice cream, and before she knew it, she was on the tracks. Turning her head, she saw a tram rushing towards her.

boom!

A bottle of beverage, knocked away, landed in the palm of a hand.

Wearing a white dress, with her hair neatly styled and adorned with a rabbit hair clip, the girl smiled sweetly and hummed a tuneless melody. She unscrewed the cap of her drink, took a sip, leaned forward slightly, stood on tiptoe, and gazed at the departing tram.

A cell phone was placed on the bench behind her, with a sent message on the screen.

A new summer, new flavors, new encounters, new sweetness.

"What kind of strange line of thinking is that?"

Mai Sakurajima (Wahana) quipped, "The heroine got hit by a train and turned into a drink?"

"A girl who has broken up with her boyfriend, who is in despair and eats sweets, almost gets into a car accident in her distraught state, comes to terms with the relationship and her life, watches the train that is called the past gradually disappear into the distance, and moves on to a new life..." Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) said with her arms crossed, in a very professional manner, "The plot has a beginning and an end, and there is a sense of admonition hidden in the absurdity. It is indeed very much in the style of Haku-kun, but I prefer the train-chasing plot that I came up with myself."

"If the advertisement is like this, it means Mai will eat a lot of sweets, and secondly, it means Mai will be fed a lot of sweets, which is very unpleasant!"

Bai Ying laughed and said, "My depth, your imagination, that's the real meaning. Yukino, wake up, don't let your clever brain be full of pits and bumps."

"Hmph, I knew you had ulterior motives!" Sakurajima Mai (Wahana) immediately retaliated, "You idiot, cough cough, your brain is full of holes, and even the ideas that pop out of those holes are holes. What good ideas could you possibly have?"

"Mai, your aesthetic sense is limited."

Bai Ying immediately retorted: "A girl who breaks up with her boyfriend, who gives up on herself and eats sweets, almost gets into a car accident in her despair, then lets go of the relationship and life's circumstances, watches the tram that is called the past gradually disappear into the distance, and moves on to a new life. Your vision is too lacking in penetrating power; you can't even see this layer."

Yukino Yukinoshita (Mai) rolled her eyes at him: "That sounds familiar. Who said that?"

"I'm the one who sets the questions. What I say goes. No talking back, or you'll get a zero."

As the three were chatting, the director came over and greeted them.

"Ms. Sakurajima, if you're ready, let's begin filming."

The director, all smiles, had no objection to a big star bringing unrelated people to the set. He even inquired about the lead actor's condition before filming began, suggesting they take a short break if they weren't ready.

"Let's start filming right away, I'm all ready."

Mai Sakurajima (Wahana) appeared calm, but her heart was pounding wildly.

To be fair, idols and actors are two different professions, just like programmers and computer repairmen are not the same thing, geological engineers are not feng shui masters, and architectural designers are not bricklayers.

Fortunately, the difference between idols and actors isn't that great. Besides singing and dancing to cultivate fans, idols also have activities like giving interviews and running errands to increase their exposure.

I was, after all, a character who acted alongside my sister—even though I only had a few lines, only appeared on screen for a few seconds, and was just a supporting role almost indistinguishable from an extra…

Sakurajima Mai (Waka) tried to stop her racing thoughts, but the more she thought about it, the more uncertain she felt!

There's no way I can do it. My older sister is so amazing. If I were to take her place, I definitely wouldn't be able to be as amazing as her.

What if, what if I ruin the image my sister has built up... my stomach is starting to hurt.

what to do? what to do? what to do?

Although it was just an advertisement, although I do have some acting skills, and although the performance mainly focused on image and popularity, with very low requirements for acting skills...

But I'm still so panicked!

How can I perfectly portray the older sister's demeanor?!

If I could portray the demeanor of an older sister, would I even need to act?!

"Ms. Sakurajima, please move aside. The train is almost here. I need to film the scene of the train speeding by..."

The director was fiddling with the camera.

"OK, all right."

Mai Sakurajima (Wahana) didn't notice anything amiss. She took a deep breath and felt a tightness in her chest.

Hmm? Something seems wrong. I feel a tightness in my chest.

The tram roared along the tracks, coming and going in a hurry, and it felt as if my heart was being crushed by the rapid, violent sound.

Sakurajima Mai (Wahana) subconsciously wanted to lick the corner of her mouth and swallow, but she controlled her impulse before she could stick out her tongue.

Calm down, your sister wouldn't do something so indecent.

Sakurajima Mai (Wakka) pursed her lips, swallowed imperceptibly, and knew it was her turn...

According to the script, I should be sitting on a bench posing, portraying the anticipation and shyness of a young girl towards her lover—but I've never been in love, how would I know what that feels like! In short, it's about blushing, right? Would patting my face work?

If we're talking about the next level after romantic relationships, then it's just friends of the opposite sex, right?

A friend of the opposite sex... If I had to act out blushing with anger and murderous intent, maybe I could do it.

Huh? Why hasn't the director called us yet?

Sakurajima Mai (Wahana) seems a bit strange.

"Director, the items have been purchased!"

The staff member came running over, panting, carrying a bag.

It contains ice cream, candy, sugar, and other things. The labels have all been torn off, leaving only the original sugar flavor.

"Director..." Mai Sakurajima (Wahana) calmed down, "Do you want to change the plot?"

"Don't worry, I've already talked to your friend." The director gave a thumbs up and praised, "Your friend only asked for a few photos, he's very easy to talk to—you two just discussed it together, you should have a good idea of ​​how to act, right?"

"According to the plot we discussed, should I go on a shopping spree at the candy store and dessert shop?"

"We need to achieve 120% of the budget to be considered worthwhile."

"what?"

"Ahem, we don't have that much budget... Anyway, we need to finish it in one go. Try to eat as fast as you can, and show that self-destructive attitude after a breakup."

Sakurajima Mai (Wahana)'s cheek twitched as she realized that the white figure was holding a phone and preparing to take a picture of [Sakurajima Mai binge eating].

The filming went very smoothly.

Wonderful!

The director looked at Mai Sakurajima in the camera, her face full of grief and indignation. She was eating an ice cream in three bites with her left hand and five gummy candies in one bite with her right, chewing with a hint of gritted teeth, as if she hated that the candies weren't sweet enough. She seemed to be eating, but her eyes seemed to be staring at someone else.

That's some serious acting skill!

Chapter Twenty-Eight is about the experiential learning approach!

Imagine the white shadow as an ice cream cone, then glance at the guy snapping photos with his phone...

If I were the one who got scammed, it would be fine, since I'm used to getting scammed anyway, but now it's my older sister acting like this!

Tomorrow, no, maybe even tonight, some anonymous netizen will upload photos and label Mai Sakurajima as the "Tyrant of Sweets," turning her into a stubborn, lingering label that will haunt her sister's nightmares.

I am guilty.jpg

Sakurajima Mai (Waka) let her thoughts wander, filled with grief and indignation, and became even more immersed in the scene, completing the story in one take.

Then the game was interrupted.