Chapter 39: I Am Still Myself

"Liu Ye, come to my room tonight. I want to go over the scenes with you," Cao Yang said to Liu Ye, who was about to leave.

Everyone on set who heard this felt a jolt. The seasoned veterans among them continued their work without a word, acting as if nothing had happened. Che Xiao covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief. She looked at Cao Yang, then at Liu Ye, and finally at Dong Xuan, who was equally stunned.

Is Director Cao actually that kind of person?

Liu Ye also felt a shiver. Everyone in the film crew knew what it meant when a director asked an actor to come to his room at night to "go over scenes." What were they teaching? How to improve vocal projection? How to express more emotion on camera?

"Director Cao, you've misunderstood. I'm not—"

"Feihong, you come too," Cao Yang interrupted Liu Ye, turning to Yu Feihong.

Many people breathed a sigh of relief, though some likely felt a secret pang of regret. The film industry was a complex place with all sorts of people and peculiar habits.

That night, Cao Yang analyzed the script with them once more, specifically focusing on the internal transformation their characters needed to undergo. He had already explained these concepts thoroughly, but tonight, he wanted to provide them with an "immersive experience." His goal was twofold: to deepen their understanding of the characters and to lay the groundwork for their transformation the following day. When their acting improved tomorrow, everyone would assume it was because the director had given them special guidance—that the director was a gifted teacher.

After they left, Cao Yang immediately opened his "Trash... Treasure System."

Host: Cao Yang
Current Prestige: 412,342
Available Prestige: 412,342
Immersive Experience points: 0
Film in Production: *3-Iron*
Leading Actor: Liu Ye
Leading Actress: Yu Feihong
...

Prestige had increased by about 60,000. Was it due to the domestic box office? He still didn't know the cause; the broken system provided no hints or explanations. Forget it, he thought, don't worry about that for now. Better to exchange for two immersive experiences first.

Host: Cao Yang
Current Prestige: 412,342
Available Prestige: 212,342
Immersive Experience points: +2
Film in Production: *3-Iron*
Leading Actor: Liu Ye
Leading Actress: Yu Feihong
...

Excellent. Cao Yang didn't hesitate to grant one point each to Liu Ye and Yu Feihong. Take flight, my best actor and actress!

That night, after Yu Feihong fell asleep, she drifted into a state between dreaming and waking. She remembered being married to a wealthy businessman with a large enterprise. She recalled that when they were first married, he was kind to her, but shortly after, his true nature emerged: he was abusive, sadistic, deviant, and frequently stayed out all night.

Yu Feihong was confused. Was she really that in love with him? When did she become so soft-tempered that she could endure such abuse without a word? She cursed her own blindness for choosing such a thing.

As she lamented, her husband returned, sat down, and stretched out his feet. Instinctively, Yu Feihong walked over and knelt to take off his shoes, just as she did every day. Suddenly, she jolted. What am I doing? Why should I have to take off his shoes? I'm not his slave!

"What are you doing? Hurry up." The husband moved his foot, signaling her to speed up.

A surge of anger flared within Yu Feihong. What is wrong with me? Why have I been so submissive to this jerk for so long? And he dares to abuse me!

Damn him! She had never suffered such humiliation in her life. You’re just a pathetic businessman, what are you? How dare you treat me like this!

Yu Feihong, you really are blind. You married this kind of person, and you’ve endured his abuse for so long!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She reached out and slapped the man sitting there waiting for his shoes. Not feeling satisfied, she backhanded him with another sharp blow!

The husband was clearly stunned, as if he had crashed; he stared at her with wide eyes. You dare glare at me! Damn you, in all my life, who has ever dared to bully me like this?

*Slap!*
*Slap!*
*Slap!*
...

She struck him seven or eight times in a row. Only then did the husband seem to snap out of it, and he slapped her back.

Yu Feihong was stunned for a moment. You bastard, you dare hit me!

*Slap!* She hit him back.
*Slap!* He hit her back.
*Slap!* She hit him.
*Slap!* He hit her.
*Slap...*

Yu Feihong sat bolt upright in bed, gasping for air, feeling as if she had been about to explode with rage. She subconsciously covered her face with her hands, jumped out of bed, and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Thank goodness, it was just a dream—she had been terrified.

"It seems I had too many retakes today and was scolded by that bastard Cao Yang too many times. 'What you think about by day, you dream about by night'—I've even carried the character into my dreams," she muttered to herself. Then, she began to fret again. How should she play this? The emotions? The eyes?

"I think I'm acting quite well, so why isn't it working? I did the same in TV dramas before and the directors never complained. Hmph, it must be that Cao Yang's standards are too demanding. Maybe he's just trying to show me who's boss." Yu Feihong lay back down, thinking, *Sleep, sleep, why worry about so much.*

As soon as she fell asleep, the cycle of slapping her "husband" began again.

...

Liu Ye rode his motorcycle, hanging flyers on doors one by one. If the flyers remained after a few days, he would open the door and stay there temporarily. He would help the mistress of the house wash clothes, mop floors, and clean. If there were damaged items in these empty houses, he would repair them. He felt this was like a domestic conflict, and he was fixing the underlying problems. He played at life, tireless and happy.

Until one day, he entered an empty house, only to find it wasn't empty. The mistress had been abused by her husband and hadn't left the house for days. He was immediately filled with pity. When the master of the house returned, he gave him a brutal beating. He could see that the woman’s heart was dead, filled with despair.

It couldn't go on like this. He felt he had a mission to save her.

And so, he "eloped" with her. He wanted to comfort her, help her recover, encourage her, and make her independent. He took her in and out of different empty houses, letting her experience the life trajectories of their owners. Slowly, the woman’s heart began to open; she became cheerful and strong.

However, he felt it still wasn't enough. Something was missing.

Finally, the moment he was waiting for arrived. They were suspected of murder and taken to the police station. The police notified the woman's husband. The husband used his wealth to bribe the authorities, leading to Liu Ye's imprisonment, while the woman was taken away.

He wasn't afraid. It was just like the game he played with life. In prison, he had an epiphany! He felt he had ascended; his mission was to protect women—he was the guardian of women!

...

Dong Xuan, Wen Zhengrong, and Che Xiao were chatting in their room about the day's events.

"Director Cao is so strict. I thought Sister Feihong acted well, but Director Cao didn't think so. It's over, it's over. When my turn comes, I’m going to be scolded to death by Director Cao," Che Xiao said with a fearful expression.

Dong Xuan nodded in agreement. "Director Cao is indeed very strict. We’ve been watching the popular drama *Love in a Fog* these past few nights. What do you think of Li Xiaoran’s acting in it?"

Wen Zhengrong hesitated before saying, "To be honest, after I watched her in *On the Beach at Night Alone*, watching *Love in a Fog* is a bit disappointing. The gap in acting is quite significant."

"Right, right! I was wondering if it was just me, but I'm glad you feel the same way," Che Xiao added. "I heard Li Xiaoran was cast by Director Cao for *On the Beach at Night Alone* right after she finished *Love in a Fog*. How could her acting be so different?"

Dong Xuan whispered to the others, "Is it possible that Director Cao's strict demands and guidance are what boosted Li Xiaoran's acting so much?"

"That makes sense. Otherwise, one person's acting couldn't change that much in such a short time."

"Exactly! And you know, in several of Li Xiaoran's interviews, when reporters praised her acting while trying to belittle Director Cao—saying he was just lucky to have found her—Li Xiaoran got angry several times."

"So, Director Cao's strictness with actors is justified. We must perform well."

"Mm-hmm."