Cooperate

"Thank you, Teacher Ning."

Li Chu responded quickly, politely expressing her gratitude as she entered the elevator.

The elevator was empty except for Li Chu, Tang Congnan, Ning Manqing, and her manager, Ran Yanru. Li Chu naturally positioned herself at a distance from Ning Manqing, standing on the opposite side.

Ning Manqing glanced at the distance between them from the corner of her eye but said nothing.

"Sister Yanru, Teacher Ning," Tang Congnan greeted them as well. In terms of seniority and status among agents, he wasn't as prominent as Ran Yanru, who was the second-in-command at a major agency.

Ran Yanru nodded, but no one spoke. The atmosphere in the elevator was quite cold.

At least, that's how the two agents felt. Li Chu, on the other hand, didn't feel the same.

In the confined space, the scent of pheromones became more noticeable, and the faint aroma of cloud-mist tea seemed to materialize, creeping up her legs.

It wasn't just a feeling on her skin it seemed to slip under the hem of her pleated skirt.

Li Chu couldn't help but glance up, only to notice that Ran Yanru, an alpha who should have sensed the pheromones, didn't react. It was as if she couldn't smell anything in the elevator.

Li Chu was puzzled, and as she lowered her gaze, she accidentally met Ning Manqing's eyes.

There was a hint of something in those beautiful eyes, almost as if Ning was silently asking her, Is something wrong?

Li Chu shook her head, lowering her gaze again, nervously twisting the hem of her skirt with her fingers.

From the look of it, Ning Manqing wasn't releasing any pheromones. So why could Li Chu smell them? Was it just her imagination?

If Li Chu had been looking at the elevator doors instead of her shoes, she might have noticed a pair of amused eyes reflected in the metal.

Ning Manqing lowered her gaze as well, quietly inhaling the faint peach scent and watching the elevator numbers change.

Though the elevator wasn't moving particularly slowly, Li Chu felt like time was dragging. When they finally reached the right floor, she let out a sigh of relief.

After Ning Manqing and Ran Yanru exited the elevator, Li Chu followed at a distance, careful to maintain space between them.

The breeze outside helped dissipate the lingering scent of pheromones, and as the distance between them grew, the scent vanished completely.

"Are you feeling hot?"

Tang Congnan noticed Li Chu's face had gone from pale to pink and began fanning her with his hand.

"It was just a bit stuffy in the elevator, not hot," Li Chu replied, shaking her head. She began rehearsing the lines for her upcoming introduction.

Meanwhile, the two women walking ahead were also chatting. Ran Yanru was confident in her friend's abilities and didn't give her any specific advice. She only mentioned that she would be busy managing another artist's schedule next.

"Call me if you need anything."

"Okay," Ning Manqing nodded. But before Ran Yanru turned to leave, Ning stopped her. "Did you notice anything just now?"

Ran Yanru looked puzzled. "What do you mean? Notice what?"

"Never mind. Call me if anything comes up."

Ning Manqing shook her head thoughtfully, dismissing the topic.

"Okay."

Tang Congnan escorted Li Chu to the door, giving her one last round of reminders to contact him if anything happened. By now, Li Chu had heard his advice so many times she felt like her ears had grown calluses. Still, she wasn't annoyed and waved at him like a daughter saying goodbye to her overprotective father.

At the door, a staff member was waiting, informing her that they would begin with a solo self-introduction and a few interview questions. Li Chu nodded, took a deep breath, and entered with a smile.

...

After the individual recordings were done, Li Chu met the other five replacement actors.

There were three women and two men. Li Chu almost didn't realize one of them was a woman when they introduced themselves.

"I'm Mingxi, a beta. I've seen you before! I watched your performance with Teacher Ning in Carrier Pigeon. It was amazing."

This girl was the first to greet Li Chu, shaking her hand with enthusiasm. She exuded a warm, likable energy.

"I'm Li Chu, an omega. I know you too. Your role in The General was excellent."

They exchanged compliments, as was the norm. Li Chu had been watching many films during her lessons recently, as her acting teacher had assigned her to analyze different characters. The General had been one of the films they studied, with Mingxi playing the third female lead. Li Chu had even imagined how she would play the role herself.

When Mingxi heard that Li Chu was an omega, her bright smile faltered for just a second before it returned, though it seemed a bit more forced. Li Chu noticed the change but kept smiling just as brightly until she saw Ning Manqing, at which point her smile became genuinely radiant.

The two men were both betas. One was a rising idol who had just debuted, and the other was a 30-year-old actor often cast as the second male lead in TV dramas, earning him the nickname "The Second Lead King."

After the five of them introduced themselves, they began discussing the upcoming recording, speculating about which roles they might draw and which ones they would rather avoid.

Mingxi was making a playful wish, which had become the center of the conversation. Li Chu chimed in with a few words but didn't say much, as she suddenly realized how close Ning Manqing had gotten to her.

Just a moment ago, Ning had been sitting at the far end of the sofa, but now, somehow, she was right next to her, with only a leg's distance between them.

The faint scent of pheromones began to pull at Li Chu's attention. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, she secretly took a couple of deeper breaths, thoroughly enjoying the aroma.

"So, Li Chu, who would you most like to partner with?"

The conversation shifted suddenly to her. Without thinking, and before she could fully regain her focus, Li Chu blurted out, "Teacher Ning."

The senior actor, Zhao Pei, who was known for his supporting roles, let out a teasing sigh. After all, the combination of Li Chu, an omega, and Ning Manqing, an alpha, made for good gossip.

Li Chu hadn't meant to stir up any rumors or fan the flames of a potential couple pairing. She quickly clarified, "This is my first time participating in this kind of show. All the teachers here are very talented, and I'm worried I might hold them back with my inexperience. If I work with someone I'm familiar with, like Teacher Ning, I might be more relaxed."

Her makeup today had a youthful vibe. With her long black hair framing her pale face, her smile appeared sweet and soft, giving her a pure, innocent charm.

Zhao Pei laughed as he looked at her, saying, "You seem perfect for a role in an idol drama. Have you done one before?"

"Yes, I've tried roles like that before, but I didn't perform well."

Li Chu wore an expression full of regret, which only made Zhao Pei laugh more.

However, Li Chu found it a bit strange. She had always noticed how her appearance seemed more suited to a campus idol drama, just as Zhao Pei had pointed out. Yet no matter what role she took on, she never quite matched the image of the original character.

But, as with anything related to acting and personal growth, Li Chu quickly brushed off the thought.

"What about you, Teacher Ning? Is there anyone you'd like to work with?"

Mingxi skillfully redirected the conversation back to Ning Manqing, causing everyone's attention to shift to her.

"All the actors here are fantastic. I'd be honored to work with any of them," Ning Manqing said diplomatically, raising a hand to include everyone. Just as everyone prepared to laugh at her carefully crafted words, she added, "But I'd also like to work with Teacher Li Chu. Since we're more familiar with each other, the collaboration might go more smoothly."

Everyone knew Ning Manqing was paying Li Chu a compliment. In fact, Ning had worked with many of the other teachers on the show before, including some on recent projects that had earned rave reviews. She'd only worked with Li Chu two or three years ago, making her connection with the others stronger.

"Teacher Ning, please don't call me that. I'm not worthy! Just call me by my name," Li Chu stammered in a flustered response, waving her hands.

"Okay, Xiaochu," Ning replied with a smile. Though her tone was calm and eloquent, the way her lips moved made the name sound gentler than it should have.

Li Chu nodded, all the while crying inside.

The leading lady is so kind! she thought. She's even being nice to me in front of the cameras! This is like the kindness of a hundred lifetimes from a night's encounter no, wait, she's a living saint!

The five of them chatted about various topics for a while longer, and once the program staff seemed satisfied with the material, they entered the room with a lottery bucket.

Inside the lottery bucket were the roles for the upcoming scene. The actors with the highest scores in the previous rounds could draw first, while the five substitute actors would draw last. After casting their roles, everyone would be divided into teams based on the play. The program had also set up a special feature: as long as both parties agreed, they could switch roles with each other.

There were only five balls left in the bucket. Li Chu wasn't expecting to end up in the same group as Ning Manqing, and her hopes were low. After Mingxi drew her ball, it was Li Chu's turn.

Ning Manqing was the last to draw. Then, they all revealed the characters written on their notes.

Li Chu's note read: Han Tao, from The Owl.

Ning Manqing's note read: Ling Yun, from The Owl.

Li Chu exclaimed in surprise, "Teacher Ning, we're in the same group!"

Ning Manqing nodded, the corners of her lips lifting into a slight smile.

Mingxi chimed in, "Wow, what a coincidence! You two are really lucky to be paired like this."

Li Chu was thrilled. "It must be fate!" she said excitedly, thinking to herself, Thank you, Buddha, Bodhisattva, Jade Emperor, Jesus! You can claim your ten pounds of meat in offerings anytime now!

But when the teams were formed, and Li Chu watched the clip she was supposed to act out, her excitement quickly vanished.

Her character, Han Tao, was a well-known courtesan with a seductive, alluring personality, who was infatuated with Ling Yun's husband.

Li Chu tried practicing a sultry smile in front of the mirror, but all she saw was an awkward young girl who looked like she was about to be censored by pixelation.