Soon, Li Haoge also ran out of the classroom.

The room, which had been lively just moments ago, suddenly became somewhat quiet.

A Zhao asked: “Teacher, should I run too?”

Ye Lin: “Girls don’t need to.”

At least their breathing wasn’t a problem.

For male actors, hormones were also one of the necessary factors in acting, so breath control was particularly important. He didn’t want his students making basic mistakes.

Yan Man looked up a couple of times, then lowered her head to ponder over the script again.

Soon, A Zhao finished going through her lines and raised her head: “Teacher, I’ve memorized them.”

Yan Man thought it felt like a high school spot check on reciting texts.

Ye Lin nodded, opened the script beside him, and gestured for her to begin.

But this line-checking wasn’t the same as mechanical rote memorization. Ye Lin acted as her scene partner, and the moment he spoke, Yan Man was astonished to realize—he must have read the script.

And not just once.

Because his tone and breathing pauses were completely different from when he played Shen Zhi before.

Such mastery of dialogue delivery couldn’t be achieved by reading it just once or twice.

He was even still in the ‘Floating Life, Old Years’ crew, hadn’t even had time to remove his wound makeup when he arrived—yet under these circumstances, he had read each group’s script and could precisely match every character?

Does he not sleep?

While Yan Man was marveling in disbelief, A Zhao’s part also ended.

A Zhao was overjoyed: “Oh my god, I finally understand why they say that a good scene partner can bring out the best in a performance. As soon as the teacher started speaking, I instantly found my state, and every point matched perfectly.”

“I’ve never felt like I was such a good actor.”

Of course, there was no questioning Ye Lin’s professional skills; Yan Man knew that much.

Not only did he perform his own roles well, but he also fully absorbed any extra feedback given by his scene partners.

While A Zhao was still amazed, Yan Man raised her head and locked eyes with Ye Lin.

She handed over her script: “Is it my turn now?”

The man lowered his eyes: “I have a script.”

She realized and was about to take it back when the item in her hand was taken away.

Yan Man: “Don’t you already have one?”

“Let me see what you’ve written,” he said indifferently.

She had written many annotations in the script, some even detailing psychological activities and body language. The man flipped through it slowly and methodically.

When he finished flipping through, Yan Man finally asked: “Any issues?”

“No.” Ye Lin extended his finger and pointed at a spot, “What’s this?”

“Oh, a little cat I drew out of boredom.”

“…”

Finally, they began rehearsing the scene. Yan Man chose the same position as in the play, standing just one meter in front of him, gradually building up emotions.

As her emotions slowly escalated, she finally couldn’t hold back and burst out, tremblingly asking:

“Because someone has to be abandoned, that person is me, right?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, and the fingers resting on the armrest twitched slightly but ultimately didn’t rise.

A Zhao watched intently.

Yan Man’s acting was incredibly immersive; just the redness around her eyes made you feel her委屈 too. She even gave full emotions during rehearsals, tears falling directly.

Who wouldn’t want to wipe them away for her?

Watching Ye Lin’s finger rise and fall, A Zhao nodded satisfactorily.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Li Haoge: [The way he acts as an older brother is so charming; just raising a finger makes you feel that restrained love. Your acting looks like your arms haven’t evolved yet.]

[No comparison, no hurt.]

Li Haoge: [?]

[Have rehearsals started? Wait for me, I’m almost done running, I’ll speed up and come in immediately!]

A Zhao glanced at the pleasant scene in front of her and typed: [Get lost, you’re not allowed to come in now!]

Li Haoge: [?]

Finally, after Yan Man and Ye Lin finished the scene, the door was pushed open.

Five male actors walked in, panting heavily.

Li Haoge was at the forefront and couldn’t help but ask curiously as Yan Man turned around: “Teacher, does she have any issues?”

Ye Lin lifted his eyes indifferently.

“She has no issues.”

“…”

Seeing his chest still rising and falling, Ye Lin randomly checked a spot in the script and tapped it.

“Recite this line.”

Li Haoge: “Brother doesn’t want to give up on either of you, but sacrifices have to be made… sorry.”

Having heard the previous exquisite version, A Zhao couldn’t help but burst out laughing upon hearing this rendition.

Li Haoge also realized: “Sorry, teacher, it seems I still can’t do it.”

“Run again.”

…

On the fourth lap around the classroom, Li Haoge met a friend who had just finished rehearsing.

They chatted for a while, and he sighed: “The teacher is really strict. You have no idea what it feels like to be a waste among gods fighting fiercely—”

“But aren’t you in the same group as Yan Man? Do you know how many people are envious? Having both Teacher Ye and Yan Man, who wouldn’t want to join?” Clearly, his friend wasn’t sympathetic and slapped his shoulder heavily, “You should count yourself lucky.”

Then he walked away mercilessly.

Soon, Yan Man received notice that rehearsals would begin.

There weren’t any issues on her side. After confirming camera angles and blocking, they roughly rehearsed twice.

Before going on stage, Li Haoge was blessed with individual coaching. After getting off stage, he was dragged back into the classroom by the man.

A Zhao couldn’t stop laughing nearby: “Think about it another way, isn’t this the blessing Li Haoge earned in his past life? A lesson from a top-tier movie emperor, priceless, and he’s already had two today—it’s something I’d brag about my whole life.”

After a pause, A Zhao sighed: “Though, I think I understand why Teacher Ye doesn’t do variety shows.”

“With his personality of doing everything to perfection, being on a variety show is exhausting, especially in our situation where he won’t tolerate any student lagging behind. But Li Haoge’s foundation is too weak, so he has to teach him step by step.”

Yan Man responded.

A Zhao suddenly started gossiping: “Hey, what was it like the first time you acted with Teacher Ye?”

Yan Man thought for a moment: “A very professional actor.”

“That’s it?” A Zhao clearly wasn’t satisfied with this answer.

Yan Man smiled: “What do you want to hear?”

A Zhao: “That… wasn’t there a rumor that you chased him on set? Is it true?”

Yan Man answered quite frankly: “Yes.”

A Zhao’s heart skipped a beat, and before she could get excited, Yan Man continued: “But after we wrapped, I stopped chasing him.”

A Zhao: !!!

“Why?”

“Just…” Yan Man couldn’t quite describe it, “It just wasn’t necessary anymore, and I didn’t run into him afterward.”

“Not all stories need an ending. Many times…” she was quite philosophical, “no ending is the best ending.”

The director outside called, and Yan Man patted her: “Alright, let’s go act.”

…

The two had no idea that not far down the corridor was Ye Lin’s personal rest area.

The backstage hallway was empty, amplifying every sound infinitely.

In the rest room, Bi Tan had just seen off Li Haoge when he heard this explosive content.

And the man was still sitting in the chair flipping through the script.

Bi Tan shot over: “Yan Man gave up?? She stopped pursuing you??”

Ye Lin didn’t speak.

Bi Tan: “When did this happen? Did you two just BE like this? Really BE? Or was it after wrapping?”

“How did I not know?? Are you aware of this as the involved party?!?”

The man flipped through two more pages of the script and commented: “It’s noisy.”

“What do you mean! This is such a big deal!” Bi Tan persisted, “Do you know about this?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“Just now.”

The rest room fell silent for two seconds, and the agent Bi Tan burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha so you’ve been dumped?”

The man calmly countered, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

“Were we ever together?”

“You’re right,” Bi Tan thought for a moment, “It seems the initiative was always on her side. She decided to start or end it, which has little to do with you.”

“…”

“Didn’t she notify you when she gave up?”

“…”

“Didn’t you receive a single message?”

“…”

“Didn’t you notice anything strange?”

“…”

Bi Tan: “Are you still the male lead?”

“...”

“Shut up.”

After challenging the man’s dignity, Bi Tan cleared his throat and seemed eager to continue the discussion: “Do you think it’s true or false?”

Ye Lin remained calm: “Does it matter?”

“Doesn’t it matter?”

“No.”

The man gave this brief reply and then turned to leave the rest room, heading to the next rehearsal.

Rehearsals were time-consuming, and after much折腾 (tossing about), it wasn’t until after nine in the evening that Yan Man’s group finally finished filming for the day.

Exhausted from the long day, she returned to her car and received the news that she had to move tonight.

Simon: “Considering your focus on this variety show recently, we’ve booked you a new hotel in the city center. It’s very convenient to get anywhere from there. Moreover, the hotel is superb, with a large balcony overlooking the Pingtan River and the entire cityscape at night.”

After saying this, Simon looked at her expression: “Are you rich or something? Why do such superior conditions leave you completely unfazed?”

Yan Man: “...”

Zhou Xuan struggled to hold back, wanting to mention that her family owned many five-star hotels, and such configurations were mere drops in the bucket for a little princess.

Because of her sensitivity to sleep, Yan Wendong even specifically developed a brand-new soundproof hotel based on her sleeping habits.

But Yan Man was very considerate.

“I just didn’t react,” she suddenly sat up from her seat earnestly, “It’s impressive. I was momentarily stunned.”

Simon: “...”

“Thanks for your applause; don’t applaud anymore.”

Fortunately, the company had already sent people to pack her luggage, and around ten o’clock, Yan Man checked into the hotel.

After taking a bath, she received jasmine tea and a bowl of silver ear soup from the front desk.

Yan Man turned on the stereo, sipped the tea, and her mood lightened along with the music. She walked out onto the balcony, suddenly feeling like singing.

She had just finished her bath, wearing a newly bought strap sleep dress inside and draped with a silk robe that barely hung on her shoulders.

Living so high up, no one should be able to see her.

Yan Man found the robe hindering her performance, so she pulled it off smoothly and threw it casually over the railing.

She began humming along with the music:

“In the middle of the pool terrace / Like in the arms before / Too many autumns have passed and we can’t—”

Before she could sing the words “embrace,” she turned her head and came face to face with Ye Lin.

Yan Man: “...”

She stood there like an ice sculpture frozen in the snow, all actions and sounds cut off in that moment, with only her long hair fluttering in the wind.

She found it hard to believe and thought she might be seeing things.

When the person on the balcony frowned slightly, she confirmed—

It was really Ye Lin.

Ye Lin lived next door to her.

Yan Man took three seconds to confirm.

Three seconds to ponder if she had done anything inappropriate earlier.

Then in one second, she picked up the robe she had thrown over the railing and put it back on.

Yan Man felt a chill run down her scalp, picked up her phone, and opened the chat with Simon.

Sound Sound Slow: [This is the new hotel you chose for me, living next to my ex-boyfriend?]

Simon: [...]

Simon: [Ah? I’ve been too busy these days, so I asked a colleague to handle it. Did they not even check this? Could it be that they are also fans of your CP?]

Yan Man: [You didn’t book it? You should have said so earlier.]

Simon: [Wasn’t I trying to take credit?]

[Is this taking credit? This is asking for my life. Do you know how socially dead I just was? If I hadn’t run out of time, I almost took off my sleep dress. Do you understand what it’s like having someone live next door...]

Before she could finish typing, a familiar voice sounded from the side.

Ye Lin: “Cursing me?”

Yan Man immediately looked up: “How could I?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a reflective pillar behind her, clearly showing the chat box in her hand.

Ah, caught red-handed, isn’t it?

After some thought, she said: “Let me explain.”

After saying this, Yan Man paused briefly: “I can’t explain, as you can see.”

“…”

She opened her mouth, remembering that she had just called him her ex-boyfriend.

Actually, this ex-boyfriend should have quotation marks, but given the suddenness, she couldn’t be bothered to correct it.

On second thought, he had been so many people’s husband, being her ex-boyfriend wouldn’t hurt, right?

Thinking this way, Yan Man became more relaxed.

She raised her head confidently, only to find that Ye Lin had already stopped looking at her.

He was lowering his head, flipping through the script.

Yan Man wanted to go back, but tonight’s breeze was too comfortable, and she was reluctant to leave.

She leaned on the railing and typed to Simon: [But why did Ye Lin suddenly move here?]

Simon: [I just checked. He has fewer scenes in the crew recently and has some other schedules. Living downtown is more convenient.]

[With his status, he definitely stays in the most expensive place, so you two became neighbors.]

Simon: [Living next to a top star, cheer up. If you really don’t like it, I’ll change your place?]

Sound Sound Slow: [Never mind, it’s troublesome.]

And she actually liked this location.

Yan Man wandered back into the room and turned off the stereo.

On the table lay tomorrow’s script.

This play was somewhat difficult to perform, so she had been pondering it all day.

She used one method while acting with Ye Lin, and on the way back, she thought of another way to present it.

At this moment, these ideas were battling in her mind, making it hard for her to decide.

After some thought, Yan Man walked back onto the balcony.

Her footsteps were a bit loud, and the man instinctively lifted his eyes.

Since she had something to ask him, Yan Man initiated the conversation, making small talk.

“The weather is quite nice tonight,” she glanced outside, “Just a bit cold with the wind.”

Ye Lin: “If it’s cold, why do you take off your clothes?”

“...”

Thanks, bringing up the one thing I didn’t want to be reminded of. Still so good at chatting.

Seeing him close the script, Yan Man asked: “Have you finished reading?”

He nodded.

She followed with a nod and smiled slightly.

Soon, a knock sounded at Ye Lin’s door.

Bi Tan: “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Yan Man.”

Bi Tan immediately turned to look at Ye Lin walking into the room.

“Holy crap, Yan Man is here. How does she know you live here? Is she trying to rekindle your romance?”

Ye Lin: “She lives next door.”

“Oh, so why is she coming over so late at night?” Bi Tan’s mind raced, “Could it be she’s here to explain herself?!?”

Ye Lin raised an eye to look at him.

Bi Tan: “Just... because she knows you heard those words, so she’s coming to explain. What if those were just empty words? What if after pausing for a while, she still thinks loving you is best?”

Ye Lin: “It doesn’t matter.”

“Don’t say it doesn’t matter!” Bi Tan got nervous, speaking quickly, “It’s half past ten now. A beautiful woman coming to your room at this hour, what else could it be? Discussing the script?”

“In a moment, I’ll leave immediately, leaving you two some private space.”

Bi Tan: “Believe me, she’s absolutely here to open her heart to you. Tonight, you must seize the opportunity to communicate sincerely. There’s still room for development!”

Outside the door, Yan Man knocked twice more: “Are you coming? Let me in quickly. Standing outside for too long will cause trouble. If the media takes pictures, it’ll be hard to deal with.”

Bi Tan frantically lowered his voice: “See! Worrying about the media! Worrying about your career!”

The next second, Yan Man outside the door: “I’m on the rise. Being photographed with gossip would be troublesome.”

“...”

Bi Tan opened the door, let her in, and left at lightning speed.

As Yan Man walked into the room, she looked back: “He...”

“Don’t worry about him.”

Yan Man nodded and took out a small bag she was carrying, pulling things out of it.

First, she took out a box of cherries, and the man furrowed his brows slightly.

She remembered that one day on set, she suddenly bought a box of cherries and ran up to him, insisting on feeding them to him.

Yan Man glanced at the box of cherries, finding it strange that she had accidentally packed food when she was in such a hurry.

But it was fine; she would take it back later.

Next, she took out the right item, which was a stack of scripts.

“Are you going to sleep? Will I disturb you for too long?” she said, “Because you were busy with Li Haoge’s matters today, I didn’t find the chance.”

Yan Man: “I have a few questions I want to ask you, which might be a bit complicated. Mainly, it’s about communication, considering both our opinions.”

“It’s about my character’s issues. I have two ideas.”

“Because she has a rather reserved personality, but later there’s an explosion. So the first reaction’s handling method is like what I did today when rehearsing with you, slowly building up.”

“But then I suddenly thought, didn’t Teacher Shi also have a similar performance before? He kept suppressing, suppressing, continuously piling details until reaching a certain critical point to explode—”

“This way, that explosion would be extremely powerful and leave a deep impression.”

Yan Man never doubted his professional abilities. After much thought, she estimated that only he could discuss these matters with her.

“So I came to discuss with you, as a team member,” Yan Man said, “Which performance method do you think would be better?”

“Or, which one do you think the audience would find more engaging, more comfortable, and within my capabilities?”

…

The room fell silent for a moment. She looked up at Ye Lin.

The curtains fluttered, and the plastic box holding the cherries made a sound.

Ye Lin: “So you came over just to ask me about acting?”

“Ah,” she let out an exclamation, tilting her head slightly, seemingly a bit puzzled, “What else?”