Rong Yuxiu stood up and stared at her blankly.
“…Is this a dream?” He mumbled as he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“It’s not a dream.” Xue Ning walked closer to him, took off her cloak, and exposed her face to him. “It’s me, Lord Rong.”
His pupils contracted, and he chuckled. “Concubine Xue! There’s a banquet in the hall now. Why aren’t you accompanying His Majesty? Why are you here to see me?”
“How could His Majesty remember me?” Xue Ning said. “Lord Rong, Xue Ning needs your help.”
Rong Yuxiu seemed to sober up a bit. He scrutinized her for a long time before he wrapped his arms around her.
Xue Ning gasped.
“My help…” His breathing was a bit ragged. “comes at a price.”
“I…”
Ye Shengge was so shocked that she forgot what she was saying.
“Cut!” Lin Qi yelled.
Ye Shengge immediately stood up and took a few steps back, as if she was escaping from a tiger’s den.
Qin Youhui sat up and smiled, “Am I that scary?”
“No, it’s not your fault. Sorry.” Ye Shengge felt awkward and guilty.
“You don’t have to blame yourself,” Qin Youhui said patiently. “You performed very well in the beginning, but your self-awareness escaped when our bodies touched. You need to get over it.”
Yes, she needed to get over it. This was just acting. She wasn’t Ye Shengge, but Xue Ning.
“Let’s try again?” Ye Shengge took a deep breath.
“Okay.” Qin Youhui smiled and nodded.
However, Ye Shengge failed the second time. For the third time, she didn’t forget her lines, but she still failed.
Lin Qi and Xiao Liu exchanged glances at one other.
Qin Youhui rubbed his forehead and looked at the defeated woman. He thought for a bit and asked, “Shengge, you’ve been in love before, right?”
Ye Shengge immediately understood what he meant. Her face heated up, and she nodded.
“That’s good.” Qin Youhui breathed a sigh of relief. “I almost thought you had some trauma when you were young … It seems like you’re fine, but you just can’t accept me. Do you hate me? Otherwise, why are you being so resistant?”
Ye Shengge was ashamed. “It’s not like that, Mr. Qin. I don’t hate you. I just don’t know why.”
“You haven’t been through any professional training,” Qin Youhui said. “That’s why you’re very defensive. When you were filming before, you needed to be sure that you were in a safe environment before you could let yourself go. But now, the environment makes you feel unsafe.”
Ye Shengge couldn’t help frowning.
If it were just her and Qin Youhui, she would have found it understandable, but there were two other people present. Besides, Qin Youhui’s attitude was so professional that he didn’t want to take advantage of her. Why was she still so resistant?
“How about this? Lie down and I’ll lie on top of you,” said Qin Youhui. “Since you’ll lose character the moment you come into physical contact, we might as well force you into character. Shengge, you can do it with your talent.”