When Ye Lin returned to the private room, the gathering had not yet ended.

Teacher Shi was sitting near the entrance. Seeing him come back, he smiled and said to the director: “I knew he would return.”

The director also laughed: “Your student, of course you understand him best.”

Ye Lin lowered his eyes.

Teacher Shi stood up and patted his shoulder: “Since you’ve returned, let me try one more time.”

“Just now, I talked with Director Feng. I will serve as the acting observer in the program, which means commenting on films and actors.”

“This program... mentors and actors will also have many co-performances.” Teacher Shi smiled, his crow’s feet prominent—marks of time that were hard to erase.

But in that moment of smiling, it was as if years ago, the young Ye Lin waved and called out to his teacher from high up in the stands.

Each call still echoed in his ears.

Shi Nan Hong said: “I am old now, and in the future, such opportunities probably won’t come again.”

“Before I leave, I want to see you perform a few more times, alright?”

Ye Lin’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

In their gaze, it was as if he saw his former self, recalling how this teacher braved wind, frost, rain, and snow to help him find the state of each character.

Suddenly, so many years had already passed.

Some things never change.

Shi Nan Hong himself felt uncertain; his eyelids trembled slightly as he looked at him. But after a moment, Ye Lin softly agreed.

He said, “Alright.”

Agreeing was just an instant decision, but the future was unpredictable.

After a pause, Ye Lin added: “However—”

It was already a great honor for him to come. The director quickly said: “It’s fine, just say it!”

Ye Lin: “I haven’t participated in variety shows before, so let’s do two trial recordings first. If midway...”

The director quickly interjected: “If there are any changes midway or if anything makes you uncomfortable, you can withdraw anytime. We’ll find a new director to take over your team.”

Good heavens, it was Ye Lin. Just his willingness to participate in this program would multiply the show’s fame and value several times over.

Attracting sponsors wouldn’t be a problem either.

Afterward, the director added: “I’ve hosted six programs, totaling 21 seasons, and there has never been such a precedent.”

“Mm, let’s sign the contract.”

The man remained calm, clearly accustomed to big scenes. After hearing this, he simply nodded in agreement and turned to look at Bi Tan.

Within ten minutes, Bi Tan hadn’t even realized: “Ah?”

They signed already?? He had given up!!

Throughout Ye Lin’s career, countless programs had approached him, all with top-tier signing conditions, none of which he ever agreed to.

This was the first exception.

While signing, Bi Tan couldn’t help but sigh.

Amazing, was it the teacher-student bond that moved this hard-hearted man?

Bi Tan had just finished handling the contract when he looked up and found Ye Lin searching for something in the room.

—Right, his coat.

Bi Tan searched for a while before spotting a suspicious figure on the right sofa.

Facing the air conditioner, Yan Man was curled up in a corner of the sofa, playing a mobile game horizontally. A black coat was draped over her legs, probably because she felt cold and had casually pulled it over herself.

She was deeply engrossed in the game, her legs half-bent, revealing a very slender ankle from under the hem of her dress.

When Ye Lin walked up to her, she had just finished this round.

Feeling a shadow cover her, Yan Man hesitantly looked up.

A meter away stood the man who should have left but had returned.

She was taken aback.

Ye Lin extended his hand toward her.

…What?

She tilted her head, momentarily unable to react.

Just as Yan Man was about to ask, she was nudged by A Zhao: “Give him your hand!”

Yan Man: “...”

Is that so? Somehow I don’t think that’s what he meant.

At this moment, Bi Tan also chuckled and spoke: “Teacher Manman, is our Teacher Ye’s coat still warm enough?”

“Ah,” Yan Man realized, “I thought it belonged to someone else. I don’t know how it ended up covering me.”

She handed over the coat, catching a faint scent of clove as it brushed past her nose.

The man reached out to take it, turned around, walked a few steps, then came back.

He lowered his eyes, reaching into the pocket of the coat.

Before Yan Man could avert her gaze, she naturally looked at his pocket. Under the thin fabric, a bulge protruded, clearly showing the outline of his finger bones.

What was he looking for?

The next second, the man’s palm, holding something, unfolded before her.

A white camellia earring.

The one she dropped during the brand event.

Beside them, A Zhao couldn’t help but scream in surprise.

Yan Man turned her head curiously: “What’s wrong?”

A Zhao’s face was flushed red, as if she had seen something she really liked.

“This earring is too beautiful! How can anyone not scream seeing it!!”

“...”

Isn’t this just a basic model?

After the dinner party ended, Yan Man finally returned to the car.

She lay in her seat, slowly sorting through today’s events.

“Ye Lin is actually a mentor for this program?”

Simon had left halfway through and only returned at the end.

He said: “Then what did you think Ye Lin came here for?”

Yan Man: “...”

“I didn’t think of it in that direction for a moment.”

“Never mind,” she said, “If I’m with another group’s mentor, I probably won’t see him often.”

Simon: “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you know?” Yan Man said, “I used to pursue him, although it’s over now.”

Simon was shocked: “I thought all that was just gossip in the industry. So it was true after all?”

Yan Man played with her fingers, nonchalantly: “Of course it’s true. Otherwise, how could I have ended up filming a kissing scene with him?”

“...”

After returning to the hotel, Simon confirmed tomorrow’s schedule with her and said: [The production team will arrange meals. Are there any foods you dislike?]

Yan Man thought for a moment: [I like dishes that look good. I don’t eat ugly ones.]

Simon: [?]

Simon: [Has your obsession with looks gone this far?]

Yan Man leisurely held her phone, already developing a strong sense of self-deprecating humor:

[If I weren’t obsessed with looks, how could I have pursued Ye Lin?]

Simon: [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

[Speak less, or I might really die laughing someday.]

...

The guest signings for “This Is Acting” were nearing the end, with Yan Man and Ye Lin being among the last batch.

The production team acted swiftly, and within a few days, the official shooting began.

The program collaborated with the most popular video platform, using live streaming + voting for each episode recording to give viewers a more immersive experience, allowing them to participate directly.

After the live stream, they would edit a formal version for upload.

After all, the platform versions were only a little over two hours per episode, potentially cutting out a lot of exciting content and possibly editing some controversial parts.

The live broadcast, however, could not be artificially adjusted. “Refusing malicious edits and being transparent” was the reason this program became a hit every season.

Outside the recording venue, fans and viewers had already gathered in large numbers. Yan Man sat in the car and looked out the window; all she could see were heads of people.

As she got out of the car, she heard someone call her name, so she turned around and waved. Then, she was led forward by the staff.

At the moment she turned, two words seemed to flash across her vision, but she couldn’t make them out clearly.

It seemed like... Yan-Ye?

Perhaps her and Ye Lin’s light sticks overlapped, she thought. But she already had light sticks?

Pretty impressive, Yan Man felt quite satisfied.

Yan Man asked Simon: “Are there any of Ye Lin’s fans today?”

“There should be,” Simon said, “Although only the actors have been officially announced, not the mentors, some fans can get insider information.”

“No wonder.” Yan Man nodded.

Upon entering the backstage area for recording, more than thirty actors were already waiting.

She pushed the door open, and someone turned to look at her: “...Is that Yan Man? I really liked your hairstyle in the Republican-era drama; it was beautiful.”

She smiled, “Thank you.”

A Zhao from that dinner party was also there. She waved to Yan Man, who smiled and sat down next to her.

They chatted for a while, and the rest of the actors also arrived.

After a short wait, the corridor lights came on, and the host walked in.

This was a rather well-known host, familiar to everyone, so the atmosphere relaxed a bit despite the tension.

After introducing the basic rules of the show, it was soon time to introduce the mentors.

Profiles appeared on the big screen in front, and the host revealed each one by one: Tong Chao, a child actor, Kong Lei, who won Best Actress just three years after debuting, and the specially invited guest, Professor Shi Nan Hong, a national treasure-level figure from the Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Gasps echoed from the audience below. Even industry insiders were astonished by this lineup.

Soon, the last mentor was announced. The host first teased: “Let’s take a look at his silhouette. Can anyone guess who it is?”

In the center of the screen was a black silhouette. Two seconds later, someone’s chair suddenly moved.

“Ye Lin?!”

Discussions arose: “Really? Impossible...”

“I’ve been a fan for five years. It shouldn’t be wrong; it looks very much like him.”

“Hahaha, if it’s wrong, that would be hilarious. This part will directly be edited into the final cut.”

“You’ll be expelled from the fandom by eight thousand bells.”

“This profile is really handsome. If it’s not Teacher Ye, it’s hard to explain.”

Everyone was discussing heatedly, but Yan Man sat frozen in place, her focus entirely different from everyone else’s.

—Of course, she knew whether it was Ye Lin or not.

But the problem was—

Who provided this photo, and why did they use the one from her and Ye Lin’s bed scene?

That scene was shot multiple times, and she even memorized the camera angles. If she remembered correctly...

In the original photo, her side profile was just one centimeter away from Ye Lin’s nose.

Yan Man took a deep breath.

At the moment she was adjusting her mindset, the host finally pressed the reveal button: “The last heavyweight mentor of the program, Ye Lin!”

Although many had mentally prepared themselves, the revelation still caused quite a stir.

Within the industry, everyone understood what these two words meant.

The heartbeat in the program seemed to become audible.

“Oh my god, has the top star really descended to do a variety show?”

“If we enter his group, wouldn’t getting the most votes mean we get to film a short film with him?!”

“Oh no, oh no, the trending topics are going to explode again.”

“The closest I’ve ever been to a trending topic, hahaha.”

“I’m genuinely crying. For the first time, an eighteen-line nobody gets to share the stage with a top star.”

...

Suddenly, another girl next to Yan Man looked at her: “You get to act with Ye Lin! Aren’t you excited?”

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized: “Oh, you’ve already acted with him. You’re so lucky.”

Yan Man: “...”

Right now, I just want to know who picked this photo :)

After introducing the mentors, soon everyone became restless.

“Let’s choose the scripts quickly, then start recording. Has Teacher Ye... no, the mentor already taken their positions?”

“Hahaha, just say it if you want to see Teacher Ye!”

“Sorry, I’ve never seen a top star up close in my life.”

...

Soon, it was time to choose the scripts.

The live stream cut in at this point, leaving plenty of mystery.

First, everyone drew lots to form groups. After being assigned to a group, they freely chose the roles they wanted to play.

Yan Man was assigned to a palace drama with four roles: Emperor, Empress, Noble Consort, and Palace Maid.

This was a scene where the emperor deposed the empress. The main focus was on the emperor and empress, but the noble consort, being the antagonist, also had significant room for performance.

However, it was clear to anyone that the best choice to grab attention was the empress.

Thus, as soon as the groups were formed, the other two actresses began arguing.

Since it was a live broadcast, they couldn’t be too obvious. They pushed back and forth, exchanging cryptic messages without anyone directly stating what they wanted.

The barrage comments started increasing:

[You two pretending back and forth, aren’t you tired? Just say what you want.]

[Wanting something is human nature, isn’t it? Is there anything wrong with striving for what you like?]

[No, but acting coy makes the audience uncomfortable.]

[If Yan Man joins the fight, it’ll be exciting. Today, you guys don’t need to record anymore.]

Yan Man couldn’t see the barrage comments. Watching them go back and forth for several rounds, she grew a bit tired.

She picked up the obviously unwanted palace maid script beside her and said, “I’ll play this role.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the two actresses visibly relaxed.

Regarding the role of the empress, the two continued to compete, eventually deciding to each perform a segment, letting the program team vote to decide.

Preparation time was only one hour, and most of it was wasted in the argument.

Yan Man, on the other hand, sat on the side, repeatedly reading through the script and adding background details and settings with a pen.

Barrage comments:

[While you two were arguing, Yan Man has already read the script twice...]

[Ah, I love actors who don’t fight and just focus on acting, not looking down on small roles.]

[Sob sob sob, she was the lead actress in Director Zhang’s debut movie, and her first role was with Ye Lin. Now she’s seriously studying a minor palace maid role. Love it.]

An hour later, the preparation time given by the program ended, and everyone started changing into their costumes and redoing their hairstyles.

On the side of the two actresses, it was clear they didn’t have enough time. They were still trying to memorize lines while putting on makeup. By the time the first group went on stage, they were hurriedly practicing their lines.

“It’s okay, we still have time,” the actress playing the empress consoled, “As long as I hold it together, our performance will be fine.”

After rehearsing three times, it was their turn to wait backstage.

Yan Man stood backstage, listening to them discuss the previous performances.

“I’m so nervous. Ye Lin is so handsome. When he looks at me, I don’t even know how to speak.”

“But he’s really strict. Halfway through the competition, he hasn’t chosen any actors yet...”

“Really?”

“Yes, but our performances weren’t great either, so it’s normal for him not to choose us.”

“It’s because the preparation time was too short. One hour—what can we do in that time?”

“And when we performed, Ye Lin was just announced. The entire live stream crashed, and the barrage was full of ‘hubby kisses.’ There wasn’t any discussion about the performance.”

“On the bright side, at least you shared the frame with a god.”

Amidst everyone’s sighs, Yan Man stepped onto the stage.

The backstage was dim, and stepping into the bright stage, she instinctively shielded her eyes before walking to her designated position.

Seeing the other actresses greet the camera, Yan Man realized she had forgotten to do so. However, she was already immersed in her character and didn’t step out of it.

The scene began with a slap, followed by the emperor pulling the empress’s hand back and scolding:

“How dare you! Is Consort Gui someone you can hit just like that?!”

The empress repeated, “Consort Gui?” then let out a self-deprecating laugh, “I’m afraid she won’t be for long.”

“Consort Wang, you’ve wanted this position of empress for a long time, haven’t you?”

[This empress’s aura isn’t very strong...]

[I have to say, the lines delivery in domestic entertainment is really lacking.]

Within a few minutes, they had to complete an entire segment, with climactic moments stacking up. The empress wept bitterly, recounting everything her family had done for the court over the years. The noble consort hid behind the emperor, watching her with cold eyes.

Years of affection had worn thin. The emperor looked at her, his gaze icy, filled only with disgust and regret.

As the empress delivered her lines, the audience wasn’t very appreciative:

[Stop arguing already.]

[The noble consort’s performance is okay; her eyes truly show hatred, hating that she didn’t get to be empress.]

[Hahaha, stop being so sassy!]

[It feels like they’re not into their roles. What’s going on?]

The most inconspicuous role was that of the palace maid—she tried to intervene but got splashed with water. While the empress delivered her lines, she served as part of the background. Throughout the entire performance, she had only three lines—

“Your Majesty...”

“But she...”

“Respectfully seeing His Majesty off.”

And two of those were incomplete.

Yan Man’s vote count started off low until the camera gave her several close-ups. Then, the main focus shifted from the empress to her. Her vote count began visibly increasing, breaking a million, and the barrage comments gradually changed tone.

[This emperor is terrible. How could you make such a beautiful woman play a palace maid? What were you thinking?]

[Too impressive. Currently, the fastest-growing vote count.]

[Yan Man: Three lines made the audience spend a million on me.]

By the end of the performance, her vote count approached two million—more than the combined total of the remaining three actors.

Despite playing such a small, insignificant role.

After the performance ended, it was time for the mentors to give their critiques.

Shi Nan Hong called her name first: “Yan Man, right? You played... the palace maid.”

“Honestly, this is a dispensable role. But from the moment the script was handed to you, my eyes never left you.”

“This scene where you were splashed with water—you trembled at first, then gradually stopped trembling. Why? Because you slowly adjusted to the temperature of the water. This handling was very detailed.”

“And your gaze at the emperor—I noticed a shift to disbelief towards the end. Was this a setting you added yourself? Did this palace maid originally admire the emperor?”

Yan Man took the microphone and smiled: “Yes. Since the script provided very little content, I felt the character wasn’t fully supported. So, I added what I thought were reasonable backgrounds, giving her lines causal logic.”

“Ah, this...” Shi Nan Hong paused for a while before slowly nodding, “You did a great job adding that.”

The barrage comments were enjoying the show: [Teacher Shi Nan Hong: Stunned into silence.]

In the final critique, Shi Nan Hong could barely contain his admiration for her: “I really liked your performance. And standing here, there’s something about this young girl—she reminds me of my daughter, cute and obedient yet has her own persistence.”

[Teacher, she doesn’t just remind you of your daughter. Look, doesn’t she look like your daughter-in-law?]

[Fun fact: Teacher Shi once played Ye Lin’s father.]

[Ah hahahaha I unilaterally declare this marriage settled! Ye Lin! Come up and lift your wife’s veil!]

Next, the mentors critiqued her performance.

Kong Lei: “She’s the one who left the deepest impression on me. In just ten minutes, you completed a full emotional transformation, and it was very delicate. Every progression point was spot-on.”

Tong Chao praised her endlessly: “Even when the camera wasn’t on you, you remained in character throughout. Your sense of belief was very strong. As for your flaws, they are minor technical issues. If you join my team, I believe I can help you take it to the next level.”

Kong Lei: “Hey now, don’t start snatching people already! No way, I need to express my thoughts too.”

“Well, Xiao Man, after all, we’re both actresses, right? My strength lies in emotional processing, which I believe is something you’d want to explore.”

Ye Lin sat quietly, saying nothing.

Of course, his silence was normal because soon, the host began the process, asking the four actors to turn around and await their results.

Host: “Alright, it’s time for the vote tally and the three mentors’ selections. Please wait a moment; the results will be announced shortly.”

Yan Man stood at the edge of the stage, with Simon standing below.

Simon winked at her: “Great performance this round. I see the mentors are all vying for you.”

“Do you think Ye Lin will choose you? Then you’d be the first person he selects this round.”

Yan Man couldn’t understand why her agent would think that way.

She said incredulously: “What are you thinking?”

Yan Man leaned slightly and said: “Even if the world ends and I’m the only performer left, and not choosing me means he’d die—”

“He absolutely, absolutely will not choose me—”

She might not understand men, but she certainly understood Ye Lin.

Yan Man confidently straightened her posture and listened confidently as the host announced the first round of results.

“Congratulations to the first student chosen by Ye Lin—Yan Man!”