Staring at the few search boxes under Ye Lin’s name, Yan Man fell silent for a full minute.

Then, she mustered her courage and clicked in.

Simon also watched along with her.

A few minutes later, Simon had a rough understanding: “Oh, I get it now. The start of your CP’s popularity was when Che Xixi live-streamed that BE video, and everyone unexpectedly found that the two of you look quite compatible.”

“And wasn’t that video using the song ‘The Truth Is False’? There’s another song in the same series called ‘The Truth Is True,’ so some fans made another heartfelt version praising you two as real.”

“Turns out this video has been quite popular recently and got linked to your entries.”

“After all, ‘The Truth Is True’ is a big hit in the CP circle; every popular CP has edits with this song. This proves that your CP is truly popular!”

“I understand,” Yan Man said weakly, “no need to remind me again.”

Simon looked at her expression and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Are you really that unable to accept people shipping your CP?”

“It’s not that,” Yan Man said, “it’s...”

She couldn’t believe it: “How could it be the BE video? How could any CP become popular through a BE video? Who could have thought of that? If I had known—”

I wouldn’t have edited it!

Zhou Xuan was the only one who knew, thinking about how Yan Man edited until three in the morning just to untangle the two of them. As fate would have it—

No one expected the video to go viral.

And single-handedly made the audience, who had shouted “not even dogs would ship them,” slap their faces and wholeheartedly become witnesses to this “love.”

Zhou Xuan burst into laughter for three minutes before patting her shoulder: “If you were given another chance—”

Yan Man quickly covered Zhou Xuan’s mouth.

Zhou Xuan then realized there were still others in the car and kept this little secret of the female star.

She zipped her lips and consoled her: “Look on the bright side. From another perspective, isn’t this a kind of success?”

Yan Man forced a smile: “Thank you very much.”

Simon narrowed his eyes, feeling like they were hiding something. He crossed his arms: “You two... have secrets.”

Yan Man hummed without denying it.

“Don’t actors need a sense of mystery?”

“…”

Upon arriving at the hotel, Yan Man was still baffled by this question.

“The BE video went viral. Who wouldn’t say it’s impressive?” Zhou Xuan laughed to death. “I’ve never seen anyone like you. You’re pretty talented at editing.”

Yan Man held her face, lying on the bed and sighed: “It’s really absurd.”

Zhou Xuan: “Feeling down?”

“Not really,” Yan Man said, “After all, didn’t you mention earlier that Ye Lin clears entry every two months?”

“I’ll remind him to take ours down as soon as possible.”

When there’s no sugar or interaction, the CP’s popularity will naturally decline.

Zhou Xuan: “I can only conclude that it’s destined for you. No matter what, there will always be such an episode.”

The next day, the spin-off show of “This Is Acting” began recording.

The extra episodes were also called “More Episodes of Actors.” Each episode had different themes, entirely based on the program team’s planning, and was live-streamed.

Sure enough, the theme of this episode was “Old Photos.”

But how old is considered “old”?

Yan Man thought about it and, unsure, sent all her baby, elementary school, and high school photos packaged to the production team.

When she arrived at the recording venue, she found Ye Lin there too.

The director lamented: “Teacher Ye is so hard to invite. The directing team communicated for many days before finally negotiating a time. Everyone must cherish it and record this episode well.”

Some actors originally took leave today because they were filming and couldn’t make it. However, upon hearing that Ye Lin was attending and that photos would be shown, many rushed back.

Yan Man sat in the front row, cross-legged to avoid blocking anyone’s view, waiting.

Soon, the first photo was displayed.

Since the extra episodes had no host and everyone was chatting beforehand, no one reacted immediately. Those who did weren’t sure what to say.

It was Yan Man who spoke up first: “Your cape looks so cool. Did you make it yourself?”

That actress smiled: “Yes.”

“I used to have a martial arts dream and made myself a cape,” Yan Man gestured. “After finishing, I felt quite proud and showed it off to my family.”

“Only to be discovered by my second brother that it was his bedsheet. He chased me for three streets.”

Her words ignited the active factor in the barrage comments, gradually becoming lively:

[I died laughing. Who hasn’t draped a bedsheets as a kid?]

[Love those oily wheat beauties.]

[Please remove the surveillance camera installed in my bedroom, Yan Man.]

As they moved on to other artists’ photos, whether famous or not, Yan Man always gave a timely reaction to ensure there were no awkward silences.

“Your eyelashes are so long. Do you use eyelash growth serum?”

“Your hair gloss is really good. Is it the oil you endorse? I’m going to buy it right away.”

“Your lips suit this glossy lipstick very well. What’s the shade? Thank you.”

[Hahahaha, this is exactly what it feels like being recommended by friends.]

[Her enthusiasm is so adorable. She makes the atmosphere better without making the other person feel awkward. Very comfortable. Love it.]

[And she’s so sincere. She genuinely notices everyone’s highlights. That’s super great!]

[I’m introverted and socially anxious, so I really like friends with this kind of personality. Like a ray of light.]

As they continued, the photos eventually reached hers. Yan Man didn’t react in time and choked on her saliva.

[Silly piggy!]

She accepted the cup handed over by Simon, drinking water to soothe her throat while the discussion in the studio reached its peak.

“This one’s beautiful!”

“Hahahaha, so fresh. Don’t know why it feels somewhat familiar.”

“Looks like a photoshoot. Seriously, no talent scout approached you?”

In the photo, the girl was sitting outside the basketball court fence. It seemed she was caught by a friend while buying water. She only managed to glance at the camera, her lips slightly curved upwards, fingers still twisting the bottle cap.

Her hair was shoulder-length, shorter than it is now.

“Some did approach,” Yan Man said. “At the time, I wanted to focus on studying, so I declined.”

Part of the reason led her to consider trying out the entertainment industry after graduation.

“How old were you at this time?”

Yan Man couldn’t quite remember: “About sixteen, maybe.”

[Sob sob sob, someone else’s sixteen.]

[At sixteen, I didn’t even know how to dress… oh, it seems she didn’t dress up much either. Natural beauty, sorry for the disturbance.]

[She hasn’t changed much...]

Yan Man’s photo was discussed for twenty minutes, three times longer than the others.

Finally, her photo switched, and the next one was of another actress. As usual, Yan Man took on the role of host, chatting with her for a while. Then, the screen changed to Ye Lin’s photo.

His photo wasn’t a posed or candid shot but an official photo of a young flag-raiser, likely taken by the school during a flag-raising ceremony.

The morning sunlight shone hazily, the youth’s figure tall and elegant, long limbs adjusting the national flag. The arc from his fingers to wrist bones was distinctly handsome. His uniform was a bluish hue.

From that time, glimpses of his superior facial features and posture could already be seen.

Yan Man fell silent.

The barrage loved this kind of commotion:

[If I loved you less, I might be able to talk more. — Pride and Prejudice]

[What? Sir, are you really shipping this?]

[Hahahaha, Yan-Ye fans regain respect too fast. Who understands?]

[But is Yan Man really pursuing Ye Lin? Doesn’t seem like it?]

[Fabricated material?]

[Not fabricated, I heard from a friend that indeed, in the crew, Manman was pursuing.]

...

Just as the barrage started to veer off, whether due to a bug or otherwise, the screen flickered, and Yan Man’s photo appeared stuck between frames.

The live room immediately exploded:

[High school era sunny girl x taciturn boy, who doesn’t want to be saved?]

[Like teasing the boy you like during lunch break, passing over a love letter. When the boy opens it, he finds it addressed to ‘Yan Man.’ The girl laughs and says, ‘Oops, wrong one. How did I give you someone else’s?’”]

[Grass grass grass, wanna see a campus collaboration!]

[Also enjoy some campus POVs. Teacher teaching, the female lead flirting wildly under the desk. The studious boy appears unmoved, but if you look closely, his earlobes are red, and the pen tip trembles while writing. Little seductress x abstinent senior, who wouldn’t like it?]

[Wanna see them bang on the desk.]

[?]

Facing the screen, someone asked: “How old was the teacher in this photo?”

Ye Lin: “Seventeen.”

The barrage shipped it hard: [Both were shot at the same year! Approximately destiny knocking?]

[Parallel universe! Time-crossing!]

[Dear scriptwriters, please hurry up with the campus drama! (Adult scripts too, sorry.)]

Ye Lin’s photo, as the last one, perfectly wrapped up today’s spin-off episode.

Of course, Yan Man’s student photo also gained significant popularity.

Screenshots of their photos sparked discussions on Weibo soon after, maintaining high heat.

In no time, Yan Man’s photo was brought into the forums.

Oh, the relatives are killing me with their filial piety. The neighbors are still praising Yan Man for her natural beauty, really thinking others are blind? Which high school student can have loose hair while taking photos on the school playground? Do they think we’re fools with these obviously staged photos?]

This was the initial post exposing Yan Man’s participation in “Floating Life, Old Years.” At that time, few believed it, but after the official announcement by the production team, the post was dug up again, sparking hundreds of replies.

Thus, some people developed the habit of mocking Yan Man here when they had nowhere else to go.

The hottest topic at that time within the thread was that Yan Man had gotten plastic surgery specifically for this drama, making her look almost identical to the female protagonist in the manga.

Unsurprisingly, this was a gathering place for black fans. Once someone posted a new reply, it quickly garnered agreement within minutes.

[What’s the difference from how she looks now? It must have been taken just a few days ago.]

[Her team really put in so much effort hahaha.]

[It might be an old photo that has been edited. Who looks like that in photos from years ago?]

While the posts were getting heated here, on the other side, the official Weibo account of “This Is Acting” also posted new content.

This Is Acting V: [Are you satisfied with this episode’s extra content? After communicating, we learned that the official edited version will be released the day after tomorrow afternoon. Please stay tuned~

Additionally, for this ‘Old Photos’ theme, many actors provided multiple photos, some of which were not previously exposed. We couldn’t bear to keep them to ourselves, so we’re sharing them with everyone!]

Following this, the official Weibo account released many photos of the actors, including Yan Man’s childhood and elementary school photos she had sent earlier.

There wasn’t much difference in her facial features compared to now; one glance could tell it was her.

Soon, those photos were brought into forums by fans, starting a direct comparison:

[Thank you all for your replies. I was curious about where the rumor of Yan Man getting plastic surgery came from, and voila, I found the nest (?).]

[Thank you all for helping us debunk this rumor accurately! This gratitude is beyond words, so let’s take a look at Yan Man’s face that has been stunning since she was young! Attached is a long image.]

[Hahahaha, dying of laughter. Only Yan Man fans would dig this deeply.]

[Oh my oh my, born beautiful stuns who?~]

[Seeing a manga-like face and calling it plastic surgery, acting like you’ve never seen the world. Enlarging her hair strands 100 times and accusing her of editing. Can’t see the watermark in the bottom left corner showing it was six years ago. Is this selective blindness?]

[Actually, it’s understandable. Some people have never seen such a beautiful person, so they assume plastic surgery at first sight.]

[Also, for your information, some private and elite schools allow students to have loose hair and wear customized short skirts as uniforms. Don’t judge if you haven’t seen it. Showing off ignorance is quite embarrassing (.]

Yan Man happened to hear Simon mentioning this while backstage.

Simon: “That reply content is really funny. No one replied afterward. No one can outwit your fans. Hilarious, this is truly fans following their idol.”

“They debunked the rumors in such an interesting way that many people turned into casual fans. By the way, taking this opportunity, your fans set up an official fan club, and they contacted us.”

Yan Man didn’t understand this well and was somewhat surprised: “Does the fan club contact you guys?”

“Yes, official fan clubs do contact the artist’s team,” Simon educated her. “In situations where the studio isn’t suitable to intervene, the fan club steps in, and we also provide them with tickets and such.”

Yan Man made a sound of understanding.

Simon showed her the fan club page: “They are currently recruiting. Should we apply for an assistant to specifically manage operations within the fan club?”

“No need,” Yan Man said casually. “Let them have fun on their own.”

Simon: “Alright, as long as there aren’t major issues.”

“Do you have any other opinions?”

Yan Man looked down for a while before saying: “One.”

Simon became a bit nervous: “What?”

“This pendant is covering my eyes. Adjust it down a bit; it would look better.”

“...”

Have your perfectionist tendencies reached this extent?

After discussing recent work progress, Simon expressed satisfaction.

“This variety show has slowly started to gain you fans. Once you gain recognition and your acting skills are acknowledged, more good scripts will come your way.”

Although the resources the company provided were classified as A-level dramas, compared to the industry’s top S-level productions, there was still a gap.

Simon: “Especially if you win first place in this program, we’ll have a custom script.”

Yan Man: “Is a custom script that good?”

“Let me put it this way,” Simon said. “The custom scripts from the first two seasons were all hits. The champion of the first season even jumped from obscurity to the top tier just through that drama. Isn’t that great?”

Zhou Xuan added: “Because the variety show gets popular, the ratings are high, and the final episode will announce the custom script, gaining recognition.”

“Plus, the top screenwriting team tailors the characters specifically for the actors, increasing the compatibility between the role and the actor, leading to a higher fan conversion rate.”

Simon: “Moreover, the screenwriters adjust the script based on audience preferences, ensuring everything is what viewers want to see, boosting discussions.”

Yan Man nodded, indicating understanding.

Since she had already come this far and was fully committed to recording this variety show, she would do her best.

Soon, the crew delivered another invitation regarding tomorrow’s shoot.

Yan Man: “What?”

Simon: “The first episode’s high popularity attracted new sponsors, and we need to shoot some commercials and materials.”

“But this planning is quite interesting,” Simon said. “There’s also a live stream with two themes. Artists blindly choose without knowing what others picked.”

Yan Man: “What are the two themes?”

“One is a seaside banquet, and the other is a pool photoshoot,” Simon clicked his tongue. “This sponsor knows how to play. Just these two themes with a few popular artists are worth the sponsorship fee in terms of discussion.”

Zhou Xuan: “Especially the pool photoshoot, how will it be shot?”

“Hold on, hold on—” Simon read the content on the card. “For this shoot, all communication between artists will be handled entirely by their managers?!”

Before Yan Man could react, he said: “Then I absolutely cannot pair up with Bi Tan!”

Yan Man: “What grudge do you two have?”

Simon gave a cold smile: “I’d go crazy seeing him.”

“...”

“Choose the pool, the pool,” Simon said. “With Ye Lin’s personality, he definitely won’t get in the water.”

Yan Man watched him with interest, “So sure?”

“Of course! Male artists revealing skin by getting in the water is unheard of. Even if they don’t reveal skin, the clothes would stick. Have you ever seen Ye Lin in such revealing styles?”

Yan Man: “Isn’t ‘Floating Life, Old Years’...”

Simon: “That drama was his first intimate scene since he started his career, probably because he wanted to retire—”

“Ah, why am I telling you this? The main point is off. The decision is ultimately yours. Which one do you want to shoot?”

“I’m fine with either,” Yan Man said indifferently. “If you don’t want to see Bi Tan, then I’ll choose the pool.”

After all, banquet themes would often be shot later, but getting in the water wouldn’t necessarily happen again.

Simon immediately decided: “Alright! Then underwater it is!”

On the other side, in Ye Lin’s rest area.

Bi Tan received the invitation and slapped his thigh: “Managers handle all communication? If I choose wrong, won’t I end up seeing that ghost manager of Yan Man?”

Staff: “Simon?”

Bi Tan: “Don’t call him so intimately in front of me. I’ll vomit.”

“...”

Bi Tan rubbed his chin and began analyzing: “Teacher, can you disclose which scene Yan Man is shooting?”

“Sorry, but I really can’t say.”

Bi Tan furiously worked his brain: “Yan Man is a female artist, and her breakout photos were the red velvet series. She definitely goes for elegance. She chose the seaside banquet! Right?!”

Staff: “...”

“Look at your expression. I must have guessed right!” Bi Tan was overjoyed. “Haha, then we’ll shoot the pool! Underwater photos!”

Staff cautiously asked: “Shouldn’t we ask Teacher Ye?”

“No, for things like this, we decide and inform him directly.”

“Besides,” Bi Tan said, “Not many female artists would choose to get in the water. It’s hard to shoot. Even if we have to shoot some revealing scenes, we can totally handle it.”

Bi Tan raised an eyebrow: “After all, our Teacher Ye works out every day.”

Staff: “Shall I register then?”

“No problem!” Bi Tan was eager. “Pool, definitely the pool!”

…

…

On the shooting day, Yan Man arrived at the venue early.

The sponsor this time was a clothing brand. Yan Man saw a message from A Zhao, confirming that many people indeed went to the seaside banquet group, almost all the actors were there.

She wasn’t sure about the outfits for that group, but as expected for her water-themed shoot, it was swimwear.

Beautiful swimwear, segmented inside with a layer of thin gauze outside. The gauze was adorned with glitter, shimmering in circles under the lights.

Like ripples on the sea surface.

Seeing such beautiful clothes lifted her spirits significantly.

Yan Man happily changed, facing the mirror, only to find a zipper that was hard to pull.

Probably because it was new, the zipper was a bit stiff, and she couldn’t get enough leverage with her hands behind her back.

Originally, she planned to finish dressing the gauze before going out, but footsteps were already heard outside. Thinking it was Zhou Xuan, she didn’t bother adjusting her clothes too much, pulled back the curtain, and said:

“This zipper is so stiff. Can you help me pull it up?”

Turning around, she exposed her half-zipped back to the visitor. Yan Man looked up in the mirror—

Behind her stood… Ye Lin.