Starlet Taotie Chapter 31
Chapter 31 Words A Human Would Say
Ann Lisa wiped away her tears, still shaken.
Shao Zemo comforted her. “Lisa jie, you did great. You just couldn’t hold back your tears. You’re already the least affected one.”
He pulled up their ‘Survival Check-In’ group chat, trying to lift Ann Lisa’s spirits.
Ann Lisa: “…”
Thanks, but I really don’t need that kind of comfort.
Ann Lisa had her pride.
It was fine if she couldn’t beat Jiang Tao in other areas, but when it came to acting, she absolutely could not let herself be overshadowed by Jiang Tao.
So after taking a short break, they started again.
With tears welling in her eyes, she faced Jiang Tao with both fear and courage. “I won’t let you hurt Wuyan…”
“Cut!
“Lisa, that was good. You captured the character very well.
“But Xiao Jiang, you are lacking in emotion. Take a break for now, and we’ll shoot again later.”
Jiang Tao actually NG’d?!
Everyone stared at her in disbelief.
Since filming had begun, Jiang Tao was the actor with the fewest NGs. No one had expected her to mess up here of all places.
Ann Lisa smiled smugly, but when she stood up, her legs suddenly gave out, and she nearly fell.
With the help of her assistant, she sat back down in her chair.
Seeing Shao Zemo take the initiative to go over and explain the scene to Jiang Tao, she sneered inwardly.
This is the only act Jiang Tao knows. She's never been actress-material.
Over there, Shao Zemo said to Jiang Tao, “Jiang jie, this is the part where Yue Jia is moved by the senior sister’s deep feelings for Xie Wuyan, which is why she decides to let them go. Try putting yourself in her shoes!”
Jiang Tao frowned. “I can’t put myself in her shoes.”
“Why not?”
Jiang Tao pointed to the senior sister’s line in the script.
——Even in death, I will not part from Wuyan.
Jiang Tao: “If it were me, after being moved, I’d swallow them both whole and fulfill their wish.”
Shao Zemo: “…”
Are you sure those are words a human would say.jpg
He was desperate.
With no other choice, he turned to Shen Zhiyan, who was watching the monitor, and cast him a pleading look.
As an investor, Shen Zhiyan had recently been making frequent, perfectly legitimate appearances on set under the noble pretense of ‘inspecting the production’.
To Shao Zemo‘s demise, Shen Zhiyan’s eyes remained fixed on the footage playing on the monitor.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhilan helplessly called Jiang Tao over.
“Xiao Jiang, in this scene, Yue Jia sees the love the senior sister has for Xie Wuyan. She’s moved by the way the senior sister is willing to sacrifice herself for someone else…”
Jiang Tao still looked utterly bewildered.
Zhou Zhilan: “You’ve never been in love?”
Jiang Tao shook her head.
Zhou Zhilan scratched his head. “What about familial love? It’s the same with family.”
But Jiang Tao still shook her head. “I don’t have that either.”
Everyone froze.
Zhou Zhilan soon came to himself and his voice softened. “Um... my condolences. Let’s try to find another way to understand this…”
Shen Zhiyan raised his head. Seeing the calm expression on her face, he thought of the information he had previously had someone investigate about her, and his heart grew heavy.
Jiang Tao, however, was simply puzzled. “Is having a familial love really important?"
A taotie was born without parents or family. She had never had them, so she had no idea what that feeling was like.
Looking at her innocent, bewildered expression, Zhou Zhilan said solemnly, “Yes. It’s something very important. It’s a very warm kind of emotion.”
Jiang Tao’s eyes widened.
“Is it the same kind of feeling Xia Xia and RanRan have toward me?”
Zhou Zhilan shook his head. “What they have for you is friendship. It’s similar to familial love, but it isn’t the same.
“There are three kinds of love in this world: romantic love, familial love, and friendship. Each one is unique.
“Romantic love is passionate and uninhibited, rich and intoxicating like red wine.
“Familial love is the warmth of blood being thicker than water. It seems plain and ordinary, like the bowl of noodles you’re most familiar with. You don’t think much of it when you have it, but once you truly lose it, it feels as though something is missing.
“Friendships are like snacks with all sorts of distinctive flavors. Each one has its own unique taste, allowing you to experience a completely different flavor every time.”
Jiang Tao was practically drooling just listening to him.
So there were still so many things in this world I had never tasted.
I really wanted to try them.
A look of longing appeared on her face.
Seeing her expression, Shen Zhiyan felt a faint ache in his heart.
He spoke up to change the subject. “You’ll have all of those someday. For now, let’s focus on the scene.”
Zhou Zhilan also realized he had said too much and chimed in, “Right, right, let’s focus on the scene first.”
Shen Zhiyan thought about Jiang Tao’s personality and spoke up, “Try thinking of the senior sister as your best friend, and Xie Wuyan as your favorite food?”
Shao Zemo, who happened to be walking past them, stopped short: “???”
But after pondering it for a moment, Jiang Tao suddenly understood. “I got it!”
And with that, they resumed filming.
Ann Lisa simply couldn’t believe Jiang Tao had found the feeling so quickly. If she really had that kind of comprehension, she would have become famous long ago.
So when Director Zhou called, “Action!” Ann Lisa delivered her lines as usual, tears welling in her eyes.
But this time, Jiang Tao’s expression changed.
Yue Jia looked at Xie Wuyan‘s senior sister, a complicated emotion flashing through her eyes. Then, without concealing the killing intent in her gaze, she cast a light glance at Xie Wuyan.
“I’ll let you both off this time. If I catch you again, you won’t be so lucky.”
Director Zhou: “Cut!
“Great It’s a pass!”
Ann Lisa: “!!!”
What had just happened?!
How had Jiang Tao suddenly improved so much?!
Shao Zemo let out a breath.
He returned to his chair, grabbed his phone, and typed a message in the ‘Survival Check-In’ group chat.
【Checking in. Celebrating the fact that I survived another day!】
Meanwhile, Zhou Zhilan stared at Shen Zhiyan in shock. “You’re incredible. You actually managed to explain the scene using a method like that!”
Shen Zhiyan smiled. “Just a little trick from method acting.”
Zhou Zhilan: “…”
You're humblebragging a little too hard.
Still, he couldn’t help being curious. He turned to Jiang Tao and asked, “Xiao Jiang, what were you thinking about at the time? You captured the emotion so perfectly!”
Jiang Tao: “I just imagined Xia Xia standing in front of a crawfish. I wanted to eat the crawfish, but I didn’t want to hurt Xia Xia, so I’d let them go. But sooner or later I’d find a chance to catch that crawfish and eat it!”
A sharp glint flashed through her eyes.
Shao Zemo: “…”
A chill ran down his spine.
He silently retracted his previous message.
【Still struggling to survive...】
Although Jiang Tao couldn’t understand many human emotions, Yue Jia wasn’t a particularly complicated character. With Shen Zhiyan’s food-based method of getting into character, the results weren’t bad at all.
Just as Jiang Tao’s performance was beginning to hit its stride, a piece of gossip suddenly set the internet ablaze.
