Lu Qin’s good acting skills in her previous life could entirely be credited to Yan Huan, who practiced tirelessly with him nearly every day. She had managed to eliminate his weaknesses by brute force, and that was what enabled him to improve his acting.
However, that was all in her previous life. Currently, his acting skills were clearly stagnant, far from any hopes of a breakthrough.
Even so, he was known as the glamour boy of the entertainment industry. His face had given him an insurmountable edge. If nothing else, Lu Qin was indeed handsome and good at acting cool.
He had styled himself as one of the most handsome men to have ever lived. With Photoshop, perhaps.
Yan Huan flung the bolster aside. Rather than the plot itself, she was more focused on Lu Yi’s acting.
She had that critical side to her.
And the first impression Lu Qin’s Duan Yu left her was… awkwardness.
She wondered what others thought of it. She picked up her phone and gave Luo Lin a call.
“Hey, Luo Lin. It’s me.”
“Why are you calling me at this hour?” asked Luo Lin, still slaving away at the set with her new artistes. What could Yan Huan want at this hour, she wondered, don’t tell me she changed her mind and wants to make a guest’s performance now.
“Have you watched the new Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils yet?” asked Yan Huan. She wanted an objective view of his acting.
She avoided asking her family because they would more or less be biased against Lu Qin, so she chose to ask the experienced Luo Lin. Her criticism should be on the point.
“I did watch a bit,” said Luo Lin, finding a wall to lean on. She had to do it since she was too tired; her feet were almost swollen so she didn’t want to stand, and there wasn’t anywhere to sit either.
“The show itself isn’t bad, but Lu Qin’s acting is horrible. Is his face his only redeeming point? The only thing he does all the time is staring wide-eyed.”
“Despite being a big film, the show’s viewership hasn’t been all that great. It’s currently ranked in fourth place. I’m not sure if it will rise in the future, but personally, I’m dropping the show because of that awful Duan Yu.”
“The show had been a lot enjoyable before he made his appearance. Oh, by the way,” Luo Lin still had the intention of having Yan Huan making a guest appearance. Despite her current status as the best actress, she was still an artiste under her.
There was a role in “Sound of Wind” that fit her especially well—a beautiful Japanese spy who was adept at hand-to-hand combat. Her signature move was her imposing kick. The role suited Yan Huan since she was capable of such movements and did not need to rely on a stuntwoman. More importantly, her long slender legs would go perfectly with the character’s knee-high boots.
Director Jin had thought the same. Previously, Yan Huan had declined the offer due to her arm injury, but she no longer had that excuse now.
“I’ll pass. The doctor had told me not to move around too much,” said Yan Huan. With the imminent danger Sea City was facing, she had no time for acting.
Lu Yi was currently trying to come up with a solution. Despite having a full month for preparations, there just wasn’t enough time. It wasn’t as if they could go around telling everyone that Sea City would face a flood in a month’s time.
It was easy to plan and discuss, but hard to put into action.
She hung up, kicked her shoes off, and rested her feet on the sofa. She continued watching the television, pretending to be a regular audience who didn’t nitpick on every action, but that didn’t stop the bad acting from coming.
When Lu Yi came out of his room, he saw Yan Huan sitting on the sofa. It was nearly twelve. Why was she not asleep yet?
He walked over, sat down, and put Yan Huan’s feet on his lap. His hands massaged her feet so that they would not go numb, then he reached out for a fur blanket to cover them.
Cold hands and feet during winter would make her menstruation period miserable, yet she didn’t pay attention to such things.
Yan Huan huddled together, her feet warm and comfy.
“Look,” she pointed at the television. “How’s your little brother’s Duan Yu? Don’t you think he looks very cool?”
Lu Yi glanced at the television perfunctorily. “You like that type?”
His sullen eyes narrowed into slits, as though he was going to smash the television.
Yan Huan shifted and huddled up close to him. She gave him a quick peck. “I like my husband the most.”
That took a little of Lu Yi’s unhappiness away. Not once had he forgotten who Yan Huan married during her previous life. Lu Qin was his husband, and he, her brother-in-law.
That was why Lu Qin’s name was forbidden before him. Mentioning that name was little different than making him a cuckold.
“Go sleep,” he said as he laid a blanket over Yan Huan. “It’s past twelve already.”
“Okay,” said Yan Huan obediently. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lu Qin’s Duan Yu cavorting about in a goofy motion, supposedly performing what was famously known as the Wave-like Subtle Steps.
But why did it look like he was dancing?
She snorted with laughter.
“Your little brother’s dancing.”
A little disgusted by a grown man like Lu Qin sashaying like a woman, Lu Yi took the remote control and switched the television off.
“I don’t want to walk,” said Yan Huan, hooping her arms around Lu Yi.
“Fine,” Lu Yi scooped her up easily. She was a little heavier than before she was injured, but all in all, she hadn’t put on much weight despite all his efforts. All that weight would be gone again the next time she catches a cold. He ought to find a good Chinese doctor to nurse her body properly, he thought.
Lu Yi had gone out by the time Yan Huan woke up the next morning. He was out all the time these days, burdened by his usual work and the preparation work for combatting the imminent flood.
She wondered if they could change anything at all.
Groggy from sleep, she sat up and pulled the blanket closer to herself.
“Are you awake, Miss Yan?” The nanny knocked on the door softly.
“Yes, I am,” Yan Huan flung off the blanket and slipped into her slippers. She needed some food in her belly badly.
The nanny made Xiaolongbaos (her favorite) and soybean pudding. With a good appetite, she ate 5 Xiaolongbaos and a bowl of soybean pudding.
