My CP Rumor With The Movie Queen Has Gone Viral

Chapter 83: If You Become Too Thin From Hunger, Whom Should I Cry To?

The dream of that night was peach-flavored.

When Ruan Jinghong woke up in the morning, there was no one beside her.

If it weren't for the intact peach lip balm placed on the bedside table, she might have mistaken last night for a dream.

She checked her phone and saw that it was only 7 o'clock in the morning.

It was strange because ever since she returned to the country after filming the variety show, she had been waking up naturally for several days without relying on an alarm clock.

Despite the early hour, the bed next to her had already turned cold, and she wondered when the other person had left. 

Ruan Jinghong knew deep down that even someone as insignificant as herself had been booked with work nonstop after filming the variety show and returning to the country.

So, it was even more true for Wen Jin, who had to act and manage a company at the same time.

She would be much busier than a small actress like her.

Spending two consecutive days to be with her in this small apartment might already be the limit.

It takes only seven days to develop a habit.

From going abroad to film the variety show until now, it had been eight consecutive days that Ruan Jinghong seemed to be constantly with Wen Jin.

However, in the days to come, she would have to start focusing on her new work alone. Well, it is indeed a bit uncomfortable.

Ruan Jinghong stretched lazily like a cat and encouraged herself in her mind:

Pull yourself together, Ruan Jinghong. There is still a lot of work to be done, so don't just think about sticking to Teacher Wen all day long.

If it affects Teacher Wen's work and she starts to dislike me, what should I do?

Seeing that it was still early, she decided to make breakfast for herself.

Wearing her cat slippers, she walked into the kitchen. Just as she was about to open the fridge to search for ingredients, her gaze fell on a porcelain plate on the stove, which was covered by an overturned porcelain bowl.

She reached out to remove the bowl and took out the note that was being pressed down by it.

[Teacher Wen''s exclusive recipe: Love Sandwich, full of energy after eating o(=∩ω∩=)m]

Ruan Jinghong didn't expect Wen Jin to wake up so early and even made breakfast for her personally.

There was a special, old-fashioned smiley face drawn on the back of the note, which perfectly matched the artistic style that Ruan Jinghong had in mind for Teacher Wen.

She touched the sandwich on the plate, and it was still warm.

Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=7288969

This translation is originally posted on

https://love4baihe.blogspot.com

Taking a bite, the familiar taste swept over her taste buds. She had tasted it before in the villa, but now it seemed even more delicious.

She took several more bites before suddenly remembering something. She put the sandwich back on the plate, positioned the intact side facing her, and took a photo with her phone. She clicked to send it via WeChat.

Teacher Wen hadn't replied yet, she's probably busy.

After enjoying the lovely breakfast and tidying up, Ruan Jinghong sat in front of her computer.

The Rainbow Candy advertisement shoot was scheduled for the afternoon, and she had already done most of the pre-shoot preparations yesterday.

Thinking that she might start a long journey on the drama set in a week, she needed to finish her ongoing novel, "The Concubine is a Delicate Bag*". It has been serialized for several months now.

*I forgot to TN this, but the term used here is 'bao' meaning bag, bundle, treasure or baby

During her vacation before going abroad, she had written quite a few drafts, but now her drafts were almost exhausted.

Fortunately, the story was approaching its climax, and if she spent two hours writing every day for the next week, she would be able to successfully conclude it.

Before writing, she quickly browsed through the comments section, checking if there were any details she had forgotten while writing and were pointed out by her readers.

Luckily, that hadn't happened yet.

Of course, it could also be because she often missed her promised updates, so her readers couldn't remember the plot anymore.

Speaking of which, since she joined J and added the Penguin account, there had been fewer comments urging her to update.

Ruan Jinghong was quite understanding about this: it is the back-to-school season, and students were probably busy.

She spent the morning typing furiously and managed to write six thousand words, which she threw into her drafts folder.

Considering the upcoming intense physical movements during the afternoon shoot, she didn't want to eat too much. She only had some snacks and received a reply from Wen Jin's message just before leaving.

[In a rush, I only had time to make a sandwich. Did Ruan Ruan have a good lunch today?]

The picture still shows a delicate boxed meal, but the dishes are different from yesterday.

Ruan Jinghong looked at the photo of the nutritionally balanced lunch and couldn't help but feel a bit guilty as she remembered the two stale bread rolls she had just eaten from the supermarket a couple of days ago.

[Lunch is already eaten, now I have to go out and get to work. Fist bump.jpg]

This time, Wen Jin's response came quickly.

[I also have to continue working after finishing my meal. These days have been busy, so I won't be able to come and see Ruanruan. Sad dog.jpg]

Ruan Jinghong looked at the "sad dog" meme over and over again, finding it hard to believe that it was the typically composed and calm Teacher Wen who sent it.

She smiled and sent a comforting message.

[I'll come to see Teacher Wen after I finish my work. I'm heading out now, bye-bye]

It seems that the two of them have entered a new way of communicating, greeting each other with "Good morning" and "Good afternoon" at meal times, and it wouldn't be surprising if they also exchange "Good night" messages in the future.

Before, the two of them almost wiped their guns and went off fire when facing each other, but now they are very polite when sending messages to each other.

Ruan Jinghong tends to be a homebody when she's not working, which occasionally makes her socially anxious when interacting face-to-face. However, she feels quite comfortable expressing herself through messages over the internet.

If it weren't for the fact that Wen Jin and her both have things to do, she would be happy to exchange hundreds of messages with each other.

Ruan Jinghong arrived at the advertising shoot location and, without hesitation, dived into  the cat plush costume, which weighed tens of kilograms.

The director initially thought that this delicate female star might not be able to handle it. In order to complete the advertisement on time and smoothly, he even specially brought in a slender male actor as a body double for the plush costume. The plan was to remove the headgear in the shots and then use special effects for compositing*.

*Compositing is a post-production technique used in filmmaking and visual effects (VFX) where multiple visual elements or shots are combined to create a final image or sequence.

Who would have known that this newly signed young star would single-handedly shoot all the scenes. For a long afternoon of 5 hours, she personally took on all the positions and actions. This not only reduced the post-production workload but also resulted in a more natural final product compared to using compositing.

Ruan Jinghong already had a background in dance, and with the self-made props she trained with last night, she smoothly completed all the shooting without needing much guidance.

In the beginning, the company approached her for the advertisement due to her recent popularity, but now seeing her dedication, even the director couldn't help but give her a thumbs up.

"It's been a pleasure to work together. I believe Miss Ruan will shine brightly in the near future."

Ruan Jinghong sweetly thanked the director for his praise, politely exchanged business cards, and finally finished her day's work.

She returned home, washed off the dust, and immediately started reading the script. Although "Adorable Cat" was an alternative option, deep down she preferred the more solid script of "Breaking Heaven."

In the following week, she planned to dedicate most of her energy to prepare for the audition for the role of a "cat servant" character.

This role is unique in that, in the initial part, most of the scenes involve a half-human, half-cat form. It is said that the production team has specially designed cat-like appearances for different periods in the show.

This also means that in order to secure this role, she needs to perform the cat-like behavior convincingly. Ruan Jinghong recalled the small cats she had seen outside.

They would curiously observe the world with their round, shiny eyes.

They would desperately chase their own tails.

They would roam around wildly, engaging in parkour in the wild.

Cats have many distinctive characteristics, but they are also quite scattered.

She looked at the scenes in the script and extended her hand in a claw-like manner while using vocal techniques to simulate the sound of a cat.

She somewhat resembled a cat, but it seemed like something was missing.

At that moment, her phone's WeChat notification sound rang, the one set specifically for "special contacts."

Ruan Jinghong hurriedly picked up her phone to check the message from Wen Jin. As expected, it was asking her how her dinner was.

In fact, Ruan Jinghong also wanted to proactively contact Wen Jin, but she wasn't sure what Wen Jin was specifically busy with. It would be unfortunate if she happened to disturb her during a meeting.

Upon receiving a message from Wen Jin, Ruan Jinghong finally felt relieved. She held her phone and began chatting with Wen Jin.

[I'll eat later. Are you done with work, Teacher Wen?]

[Mid-break, had some snacks. Are you busy over there? It's already 7:30, and you haven't eaten dinner yet?]

[I'm done with work and back home. I just encountered some bottleneck while pondering the role, so I temporarily lost my appetite.]

[Bottleneck? Tell me about it.]

Ruan Jinghong didn't want to bother Wen Jin with her work-related matters since Wen Jin was already busy. She hesitated for two minutes, contemplating how to reply. But suddenly, her phone rang.

She pressed the answer button, and Wen Jin's clear and pleasant voice came through the phone, with a hint of hoarseness.

"Ruanruan, are you reading the script now?"

"Mm"

In fact, during those two minutes, Ruan Jinghong had been staring at the chat history on her phone. But it was difficult to explain why she hadn't replied, so she could only go along with it.

"You mentioned encountering a bottleneck with the role. I'd like to hear about it."

Even though Wen Jin's voice was transmitted through electronic devices, it still sounded gentle and pleasant. Ruan Jinghong couldn't refuse, especially since she hadn't figured out a reason to reject.

Therefore, she succinctly expressed the confusion she faced while trying to authentically portray the demeanor and habits of a cat.

"Teacher Wen, I don't know how to truly capture the demeanor and habits of a cat."

It might be an illusion, but Ruan Jinghong felt a light laughter coming from the other end of the line, which quickly returned to the usual tone.

"I'll send you a video. Maybe it will help you."

Ruan Jinghong didn't expect Wen Jin to have a solution. She happily responded, "Sure, thank you, Teacher Wen."

Wen Jin, perhaps feeling a bit tired, spoke slowly and sounded more languid than usual.

"No need to rush to thank me. Thank me when you succeed in the audition. Break through your bottleneck quickly and have a good meal. Otherwise, if you become too thin from hunger, whom should I cry to?"

Ruan Jinghong held her phone, nodding obediently during the first half of the conversation. But the latter half of Wen Jin's words puzzled her.

Why would Teacher Wen cry if I become thin from hunger?

After ending the call, Ruan Jinghong opened WeChat and received the video sent by Wen Jin. Upon playing it, she saw a clip from the time they were shooting at the Cat Café, where she scolded the blue cat.

She remembered that the blue cat had taken advantage of its physical strength and insisted on riding on the golden gradient's back. She couldn't bear to see that and intervened to help.

Ruan Jinghong watched the video attentively, pondering over Wen Jin's intentions.

Did Teacher Wen send me this video of the Cat Café to imply that in order to truly portray a cat, I should go to the place where cats live and observe the details?

Having always had unwavering faith in Wen Jin, Ruan Jinghong was delighted to receive this guidance and replied:

[Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Wen. I understand now. I will go to the Cat Café.]

Wen Jin kept her eyes on her phone and replied almost instantly:

[Why are you going to the cat café so late?]

Ruan Jinghong was puzzled and responded:

[Didn't you send me the video of the cat café, telling me to go to the place where cats live and observe?]

Their thought processes were clearly mismatched, and Wen Jin found it somewhat amusing and exasperating.

[I wanted you to see your state at that time. Even though you weren't specifically acting like a cat, every move you made made people feel like you were truly a part of the feline world. It's because back then, you treated yourself and the cats as equals, communicating on an equal level. Regardless of the role you're playing, outstanding performances don't come from merely imitating; they come from the actor truly believing from within, 'I am this character.' That's the essence of an actor's conviction.]

Ruan Jinghong carefully read the lengthy message sent by Wen Jin, feeling a bit challenged intellectually but also recognizing the wisdom in her words.

I am the cat, and the cat is me?

After sending this message, Wen Jin seemed to give her some time to digest it and didn't say anything else.

Ruan Jinghong, considering that Wen Jin still had work to do, replied with a dizzy mind, wanting to reassure her.

[I understand, Teacher Wen. I'll make myself into a cat right away.]

[Good that you understand. I need to attend to some things now, so make sure to have dinner quickly.]

Ruan Jinghong stared at the last message, feeling a bit dazed. She opened a delivery app and ordered a pack of Miaoxianbao* for herself.

*guess what? ans: cat food

Author's Note:

Ruan Meow Meow: I understand!