015 Sister, I am oppressing the virtuous, not flirting with you.

Page 1 of 3 — Hengdian, a small grove

“...”

Qin Lan still could not believe it. She glanced at the script, then looked at Yan Li in bewilderment.

“You’re sure you’re playing Yuwen Chengdu?”

Yan Li pointed to the words on the page. “It’s right there, isn’t it?”

“But...”

Qin Lan stared at the dialogue, struggling to find a polite yet accurate way to describe it. In the end, she managed only:

“You really aren’t picky about roles.”

Yan Li sighed as well. “I’ve got to make a living somehow. The contract’s already signed—what else can I do, run away? I’m a newcomer. Having a production to work on is already something to be grateful for.”

Hearing that, Qin Lan nodded with some sympathy.

Yuwen Chengdu was hardly a desirable role, but the character she played in *My Fair Princess III*, Zhi Hua, was no better.

On the surface, Zhi Hua was gentle, kind, and pitifully vulnerable. Beneath that facade, however, she was cunning, vicious, and willing to do anything to achieve her ends.

As far as Qin Lan herself was concerned, she disliked the character intensely—almost to the point of loathing her.

Playing the part was awkward as well. Zhi Hua spoke in an affected manner and was brimming with schemes, utterly different from Qin Lan’s own frank and cheerful personality.

But Qin Lan was a newcomer too. How many choices could she possibly have? Being able to act in a Qiong Yao production was an opportunity she felt fortunate to receive and was determined to treasure, even if she disliked Zhi Hua.

After using herself as an example to comfort Yan Li, Qin Lan learned that he was also playing a villain.

She had seen him in costume before. With his handsome, gentle appearance, she had always assumed he would be playing someone like Ziwei or Qing’er.

“Two fellow travelers fallen upon hard times.”

Yan Li’s sigh struck a chord with Qin Lan, stirring layer upon layer of ripples in her heart.

They were both newcomers. They were both playing villains they disliked. They shared the same circumstances and feelings, and had encountered each other several times in this very place, at this very moment in their lives.

With so many ties between them, could they really become nothing more than friends?

Yan Li had no idea what was going on in Qin Lan’s heart. At present, most of his attention was focused on rehearsing.

The scene he had come to Qin Lan for was the infamous “queue” scene involving Li Rongrong—the scene in Yuwen Chengdu’s role that gave him the greatest headache and left him utterly at a loss.

As a newcomer to film and television, Yan Li did not have much experience.

At school, he had played petty thugs who harassed women and the like, but no teacher had ever taught him how to play a lecherous demon who organized a queue—and none would have dared to.

So, when faced with this difficult “major scene” for the first time, Yan Li had adopted his own clumsy method:

Rehearse it again and again until he knew it inside and out.

It was a habit he had developed at the Beijing Film Academy. Whether it was a skit or an examination piece, anything difficult required repeated rehearsals, constant adjustment, and painstaking study. The more he rehearsed, the more confident he felt.

That was why Yan Li had already practiced the scene many times in private before approaching Qin Lan. He had even asked people such as Wang Xiu to act opposite him.

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Still, a scene like this required the actress to provide at least some reaction and interaction.

With Wang Xiu’s large, round face and full beard in front of him—and considering his sexual orientation—Yan Li simply could not get into character.

As for the other actresses in *Heroes of Sui and Tang*, he was not familiar with them. Besides, this particular scene was embarrassing enough to discuss. He would have felt awkward asking them for help. If some rumor got out, he would never be able to show his face on the set again.

And so Yan Li had thought of Qin Lan.

For one thing, the two of them could at least be considered friends, which made it easier to ask her a favor.

For another, Qin Lan was not part of the *Heroes of Sui and Tang* production. At worst, she might tease him about it in private; word would never spread through the set.

After urging Qin Lan to familiarize herself with the script, Yan Li prepared to begin.

Before opening his mouth, he deliberately surveyed the surroundings to see whether anyone was nearby or passing through.

Embarrassment aside, the dialogue was simply too explosive. He was afraid she might misunderstand, mistake it for an actual assault, and call the police. That would be quite a spectacle.

...

The background of the queue scene was this: The heroine, Li Rongrong, had failed in an assassination attempt against Yang Guang and was sentenced to death.

Before her execution, Yuwen Chengdu, who had taken a fancy to Li’s beauty, came to the prison. In the spirit of avoiding waste, he brought his men and had them line up.

Qin Lan leaned against a tree, pretending to be bound to an execution frame. She wore an expression of fearless heroism, but the amusement in her eyes made it clear that she was treating the whole thing more like a game.

Yan Li, on the other hand, was far more immersed in the role. He had even devised a pose with one hand resting on his sword. Every detail was in place. Standing beside Qin Lan, he looked her up and down with a frivolous expression, greed and lechery flickering in his eyes.

“The Emperor was right. To kill such a beautiful woman would be a terrible waste.”

As he delivered the line, Yan Li added a physical gesture. He gripped Qin Lan’s chin and turned her face toward him, then rubbed his fingers over it twice.

Smooth.

Since this was only a rehearsal, Yan Li did not dare use much force. Qin Lan cooperated quite readily; the moment he moved, she turned her face toward him and stared at him with her large, fluttering eyes.

Yan Li fell silent.

She was cooperating a little too well. At this point, the heroine ought to have been furious—or at least struggling.

But Qin Lan was doing him a favor, and Yan Li could hardly demand too much. As long as she conveyed the general idea, it would be enough.

Though she was not entirely in character, Qin Lan had not forgotten her line.

“What are you planning to do?”

“What am I planning to do?”

Yan Li gave a derisive laugh, his gaze openly predatory.

“I, Yuwen Chengdu, have never liked wasting anything...”

After a few more lines, the queue began. As the great general, Yan Li, or rather Yuwen Chengdu, naturally had to take the first turn.

At last, they reached the main part of the scene. This time Qin Lan reacted properly, terror spreading across her pretty face.

“You... You—you’re not human! Somebody help me!”

“Go on, scream. Scream louder.”

Yan Li clamped both hands around Qin Lan’s neck and bent close to inhale deeply at her throat. His face was filled with depravity and intoxication.

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“I, Yuwen Chengdu, have never liked people begging for mercy. Ha ha!”

According to Yan Li’s vision for the scene, Qin Lan should have been furious, desperate, and terrified at this point. Her face and body should have writhed and struggled as he advanced, while he followed relentlessly, creating the sense of pressing her back step by step. That would have made the conflict much more intense.

At first, Qin Lan performed well enough, flailing twice. But somehow, in the middle of it, her movements gradually weakened.

When Yan Li sensed that something was wrong, he released her and raised his head.

The girl’s face had gone bright red, and a faint sheen of moisture glimmered in her beautiful eyes.

“...”

Yan Li could not help scratching his head.

“Good grief, sis. I’m playing a villain tormenting an innocent woman. Could you not make it look like we’re flirting?”

“Who’s flirting with you?”

Qin Lan flew into an embarrassed rage and angrily tried to stomp on his foot. Yet no matter how furious she acted, the blush on her face refused to fade.

Seeing this, Yan Li took the initiative to suggest, “Why don’t we forget it? The scene does cross a few lines. I’ll find someone else to rehearse with later.”

“No.”

Qin Lan immediately objected. Then, realizing that her reaction had been rather intense, she hastily tried to explain herself.

“I can’t just eat your meal for nothing. I promised to help you, so I can’t go back on my word.”

Yan Li hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“No problem.”

Qin Lan made an OK sign with her fingers. “I just wasn’t prepared before. Give me a moment to compose myself.”

Since she insisted, Yan Li waited.

Qin Lan stepped aside and took several deep breaths. After calming herself for two minutes, she came back and nodded at Yan Li.

“I’m ready.”

“Then I’ll start?”

“Go ahead.”

After they began again, Qin Lan’s condition truly had improved. She was clearly more immersed in the role, and her performance drew Yan Li in as well.

That was how acting worked. The cooperation of one’s scene partner was crucial. The two performers could inspire and elevate each other. If one of them stood there like a lifeless wooden post, then no matter how good the other’s acting was, at least thirty percent of its power would be lost.

“Go on, scream. Scream louder. I, Yuwen Chengdu...”

Yan Li grew more and more absorbed in the scene, nuzzling at Qin Lan’s neck, while Qin Lan initially performed with convincing terror, struggling in every way she could.

But as Yan Li’s long, powerful fingers tightened around her chin, his hard, heroic face drew nearer and nearer to her cheek and throat. The two of them were almost touching, yet not quite. Qin Lan could even distinctly feel the heat of his breath spilling across her skin.

For some inexplicable reason, her body began to weaken, her face grew unbearably hot, and a strange numbness spread through her heart...

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