Chapter 83

Sending You Both to Break Through in a High-Stakes Acting Environment

When Hu Xiu and Diao Zhiyu entered REGARD, Li Ai’s face showed a look of confusion, as if he had just woken from a long sleep.

He was still in the middle of an interview with two bloggers—one from a home renovation app with millions of users who had invited him to join, and they had also partnered with several lifestyle and arts public accounts for a joint feature.

After sending the bloggers off, he stood outside taking a call. Hu Xiu and Diao Zhiyu told him that during the two months he hadn’t been around, he had been helping Zhao Xiaoru handle a small chunk of business.

But with his work getting busier, he was still sticking to his fitness routine, barely managing everything.

Li Ai had indeed become more muscular than before, sporting a buzzcut and looking energetic—completely different from the relaxed guy he used to be, wiping cups and grinding coffee beans in a café.

Diao Zhiyu, holding a cup of iced Americano with ice cubes sliding around in his mouth, remarked, “It’s only been two months, but he looks like a completely different person.”

“Two months in Shanghai can be like a whole year in other cities.”

“He’s also been suddenly so busy that you can’t even get a hold of him. Apparently, he signed a contract in Gubei recently, a long-term lease for five years, and is designing and renovating it himself.”

“Finally willing to move into a bigger place.”

When Li Ai entered and saw Diao Zhiyu, he immediately threw a heavy punch at him: “You kid, how long has it been since you came? Did you disappear into thin air after breaking up with Hu Xiu?”

That punch probably hurt. Diao Zhiyu grinned through the pain: “I’d still come after the breakup, but you’d chase me out with a cane. We’re not close enough to have the kind of bond you and Hu Xiu share like brother and sister.”

Diao Zhiyu was being cheeky again, and Li Ai didn’t have time to brew coffee for the two of them: “I’ve got to head out later, just hang around in the shop.”

Before leaving, he added, “If you break up with Hu Xiu again, I’ll break your legs.”

After Li Ai left, Diao Zhiyu turned to Hu Xiu and asked, “Do you and Zhao Xiaoru both really like to threaten people with breaking their legs?”

They both had the same catchphrase. Hu Xiu looked at Li Ai, who wasn’t using a cane but was still walking a bit slowly, and thought that with a little rounding, he could be considered a confident young man on Yuyuan Road.

Diao Zhiyu took out his laptop: “The hidden storyline you mentioned only has one more performance this week. I haven’t followed Chen Qiaonian’s storyline, and I most likely won’t be sent there.”

“It requires rehearsal beforehand, and right now, there’s no one available to do scenes with Du Mingquan.”

Chapter 83: Sending You Both to Break Through in a High-Stakes Acting Environment

“They say you’ve got everything locked in, no room for confusion.”

“You—” Diao Zhiyu furrowed his brows. “You’ve been reading that serialized story too?”

“Of course. It made me cry. Especially that part where Han Yiqiu reveals his white skin, and Du Mingquan kisses him inch by inch, revealing his pink...”

Diao Zhiyu hissed and covered Hu Xiu’s mouth. “How many times have you watched it?”

“When I was bored while reviewing, I watched it a few more times... This chapter has a particularly high read count. What do you think about the novel with Du Mingquan? How do you feel about it?”

“I’m straight, what can I feel? It’s just a little girl’s nonsense.”

“The author’s 25, and the writing is really good.”

Diao Zhiyu didn’t want to engage. He set up his laptop. “It’s too difficult to matchmake Zhao Xiaoru and Li Ai in the Shanghai Windy Realm. Getting them on the same team is hard enough, not to mention creating sparks during missions.”

“They’re in a different situation from us. I’m an NPC, and you’re here for me. They play script-killing for fun, and Zhao Xiaoru enjoys flirting with the handsome NPCs, which just has the opposite effect.”

“Then how about we send them to Zhao Xiaoru’s secret room? Oh wait, no, Ma Liang once slept on her sofa, and she gets really angry whenever she mentions him...”

“How about we find a high-risk horror room and send them in for solo missions?”

“That’s not great either, since we don’t know if there’s a handsome NPC inside. Zhao Xiaoru would probably flirt with him.”

“She’s just good at talking; she might not actually develop anything. It seems like Ma Liang crushed her confidence.”

“All those excellent men let her act recklessly, but Ma Liang is the one who stopped her. The world’s cycles are truly strange. Haven’t heard from Ma Liang in a while. Has he contacted you?”

“Don’t bring it up. He contacts me every now and then for translation work, calling me his ‘failed romance alliance.’”

“A former colleague of mine, Tracy, also Ma Liang’s ex, found out that I know him, and she’s been spilling all the dirt. I haven’t told Zhao Xiaoru yet.”

“He hooked up with an F-cup girlfriend at Ogilvy. He said he would stay single for two years for Zhao Xiaoru, but he couldn’t resist when the girl lived on Huaihai Road, wearing Lululemon to the gym, swaying in front of him. Sometimes she comes and brags about her back pain—I don’t even know why she feels the need to brag about that to a former girlfriend’s friend...”

“He wants you to tell me that he’s doing well,” Zhao Xiaoru switched positions, clearly having been sitting in the shop for a while. “Ma Liang will definitely marry into a rich family, and I hope when he faces the wire ball, he won’t be scared and will show off his squats.”

After a pause, Hu Xiu understood the deeper meaning of her words and felt a bit awkward. “When did you arrive...”

“I’ve been here for a while. You two were so oblivious once you started your romance.”

Zhao Xiaoru rested her chin on her hand. “So, how do you plan to set us up? I’m curious.”

“I haven’t figured out a way yet.” Hu Xiu thought for a moment, realizing that Zhao Xiaoru must have been sitting beside them while Li Ai was discussing business earlier. Had they become strangers, or were they close enough to pretend the other didn’t exist?

“The Shanghai Windy Realm situation is easy enough. There’s a way to get Li Ai and me on the same team. The only problem is, I don’t know how we’ll interact. When we went to play the secret room, he avoided me like a lightning rod, barely coming near me.”

“I haven’t made a move on him in a while. Every time I hinted at him before, it failed. I just can’t read his signals.”

“So, you can draw the same team, right? Then I have an idea. You guys can try to get into the police station’s team this weekend. The chief will go to the morgue, where there’s a secret room that’s pretty terrifying.”

“After that, it’s all up to you, Hu Xiu. Come find me for your card in the second half. I have a way to get Li Ai to play Truth or Dare with you.”

At this, Hu Xiu got excited. Setting up friends to fall in love in a script-killing game? That sounded like a good deal.

The next second, Hu Xiu realized something wasn’t quite right. “Wait a minute, you just had me do a love drama in the venue last week, and now I have to go... become a key player in the Windy Realm?”

“Why worry? It’s just a normal romantic relationship.”

“Your female fans will be heartbroken.”

“They can love my acting, but they have no right to interfere with my private life—I’m not someone who’s tied to the idol industry.”

“You need to be more confident. A girlfriend is just a girlfriend. When doing simultaneous interpretation, I don’t care about professors around the world. Why should I be sensitive about minor players?”

Hu Xiu thought to herself, being number one in popularity really does make a difference—arrogant yet still liked by people.

The three of them agreed on a battle plan: 1. Find a way to free Li Ai’s schedule after 2 p.m. on Saturday; 2. Draw the police station team; 3. Zhao Xiaoru should be prepared with what to say to Li Ai and force him to submit in the game so he can’t back out in real life.

Hu Xiu completed the first task by phone: “Do you have time on Saturday? Let’s go to Diao Zhiyu’s new theater.”

“Péi Zhǐ’s house has started its rough construction. I need to go supervise.”

Hu Xiu felt a bit awkward. Diao Zhiyu pretended not to see it. “How about Sunday...”

After much effort, they managed to free up Sunday. Zhao Xiaoru brought thirty employees from her company to book most of the venue.

This was a great chance to get into the police station team. Zhao Xiaoru, as the boss, decisively switched identities and sent a few extra light bulbs to other groups, leaving only unfamiliar first-time players.

Hu Xiu was already prepared at the ticket counter to beg for a switch to the police station. Zhao Xiaoru had already exchanged her badge and changed clothes.

As long as it wasn’t for Hu Xiu, Zhao Xiaoru never let things slip. When Li Ai came out in his police uniform, his athletic build filled out the stiff fabric, softening the overall silhouette. Zhao Xiaoru’s eyes had already peaked three times.

This was Hu Xiu’s first time playing the police station faction, and she remembered that the police chief had been rumored to be gay. She made sure to look carefully this time.

With thick brows and big eyes, his gaze was filled with affection—Hu Xiu confirmed it.

The police station’s task was to investigate the origin of five bullets, stabilize the emotions of the Japanese, and secretly deliver information to the Communist Party. It was also a red-line mission.

In the 1941 concession, Japan ruled everything, and Japanese soldiers patrolling were extremely arrogant.

Hu Xiu, Zhao Xiaorou, and Li Ai were assigned tasks: one was to lure away a lustful Japanese soldier, and the other two were to access the hidden compartments in the wall.

Zhao Xiaorou got excited when she saw the patrolling Japanese soldiers: “I’ll go seduce Fujita. Isn’t it just sacrificing my looks?”

As soon as she took a step, Hu Xiu pulled her back: “You two hurry and solve the puzzle, I’ll do the seducing.” Seeing the seduction plot unfolding, Li Ai was still standing nearby!

Hu Xiu thought, for you, I’m also sacrificing my looks.

She took the note and headed back. From afar on the second floor, she saw Han Yiqiu, leading his group members like they were hunting the mafia, causing trouble upstairs and downstairs with the military and the Japanese.

Han Yiqiu spotted her from a distance. His face showed no expression—staying in character was his basic principle.

Hu Xiu followed the chief into the secret room. The morgue was pitch black, and when the lock was opened, there was a whole new world inside.

Red handprints, a lock of cut hair, bloody clothes… and various code boxes that required brains to open were the next challenge.

Dozens of people squeezed into a small room, unlocking boxes. Within seconds, Zhao Xiaorou started to lose her temper.

Li Ai pressed the code lock: “The numbers are unclear. It’s too dark.”

Zhao Xiaorou crouched down, and because it was so dark, she was uncomfortably close. Hu Xiu thought, as long as they’re close enough, and she can hear the breathing, there’s a chance!

This silent flow of breath was a powerful tool for setting the mood. Just as she felt a little romantic, Zhao Xiaorou opened a box and was sprayed with water, her skirt stepped on, and her anger flared: “What kind of weird secret room is this? The mechanism even has water?”

At that close distance, if it had been another guy she didn’t like, Zhao Xiaorou could have performed a hundred ways to seduce him. But in front of someone she liked, she was either flustered or covering it up, and in the flurry, she made mistakes.

The generator needed the switches to be set in the correct color sequence. After several wrong tries, Zhao Xiaorou wanted to reach for it but didn’t dare, and could only circle around, unable to focus.

Hu Xiu, standing far off, clearly saw that Zhao Xiaorou’s feelings for Li Ai were at their peak—whatever she did went wrong, and she didn’t know where to place her hands and feet.

Just before leaving, Zhao Xiaorou tripped, and before Li Ai could help, another young player steadied her. She thanked him, but when she walked out, the boy was still muttering to himself, “She’s like IU…”

Li Ai had already gotten used to being left out of the romance, unable to even help with a small task.

In the first half of the game, there was almost zero interaction. Hu Xiu sent a text to Diao Zhi Yu, who replied with, “I’ve got it covered.” Hu Xiu couldn’t think of any strategy to help these two friends stuck in their bottleneck.

For the second half, Hu Xiu suggested, “I’ve never taken Diao Zhi Yu’s red card. How about we go to his place today?”

Li Ai said he was fine with it, as he didn’t care much about the game. They knocked on the Intelligence Department’s door, where Han Yiqiu was sitting at the table, his glasses practically speaking for him—he had rejected them so coldly last time.

After the three stood still, Han Yiqiu entered the scene again: “If you’re willing to join the Party, you must pass a test. I’ll ask you three questions. You two need to be honest with each other and look at each other.”

Hu Xiu chuckled quietly. Diao Zhi Yu was known for making things difficult in the Intelligence Department, and getting a card from him was like reaching for the stars. Li Ai, unaware of the trap, pointed at Hu Xiu and asked, “What about her?”

“She has a special task. She’ll help me pursue Shen Ling later. You two start now.”

Pursue Shen Ling? Hu Xiu looked at Diao Zhi Yu’s satisfied look. This guy could always find ways to make her uncomfortable whenever they were in-character. Zhao Xiaorou finally found her chance: “Let’s begin…”

“Why do you want to join the Party?”

“Because everyone else is doing it.”

“You have no opinions of your own and want to join the Party? We don’t welcome people who just follow the crowd.”

Li Ai narrowed his eyes, as if realizing the situation. Diao Zhi Yu was still improvising in the scene, staying in-character, but also trying to matchmake Li Ai and Zhao Xiaorou. This was definitely a tough challenge for Hu Xiu.

Zhao Xiaorou eagerly awaited the matchmaking, while Diao Zhi Yu continued: “Second question, do you have a lover? If necessary, would you sacrifice your partner for the good of the country?”

“We’re both single…” Zhao Xiaorou looked at Li Ai. “I once met someone I wanted to love, but fate made me miss the chance. It’s my fault.”

Normally, players like Hu Xiu, who were highly skilled in role-playing, wouldn’t make mistakes. Han Yiqiu was still in-character: “Third question. For security reasons, you may have to enter a fake marriage. Are you willing?”

Both of them froze. Hu Xiu realized that while Diao Zhi Yu’s acting had improved, his specialty was still in love plots.

The underground party’s marriage plot had been introduced—just saying “I’m willing” would solve everything!

But Li Ai responded coldly: “I’m not willing…”

Zhao Xiaorou felt as if struck by lightning. Not willing meant no card for her. Li Ai opened the door and walked out, and Zhao Xiaorou slowly stood up, her face already flushed with embarrassment.

The door to the Intelligence Department was still open, and some players passed by, saw the gossiping main characters, and started teasing, completely missing Zhao Xiaorou’s disappointed figure. She asked Hu Xiu, “Am I that unforgivable?”

There was no time left. Diao Zhi Yu checked his watch—it was time to go confess to Shen Ling.

The hallway was bustling with players, and from a distance, Hu Xiu saw Li Ai staring at the ceiling, distracted while doing a Black Card task for the press.

Zhao Xiaorou rushed over, and Hu Xiu quickly reached out to stop her but failed. This was exactly what everyone said about Shanghai’s little stage—the drama was happening right before her eyes, and she could only pray that the two wouldn’t fall out.

Han Yiqiu, holding a rose: “Shen Ling, I like you!”

Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaorou also spoke up: “Li Ai, let’s make this clear today. I don’t want to be friends anymore. Once you step out this door, we’ll never cross paths again.”

Hu Xiu was dumbfounded—this was completely different from what she had planned!