Chapter 85: I

Fan Bingbin is only nineteen this year, born in September 1981, still not yet twenty. Under the good-natured teasing and rescue from veteran actress Zhou Xun, who is several years older, her face flushed slightly.

She is a proper actress, even if the role she's played most often so far has been a maid—that's still an acting role.

Before she turned dark, Fan Bingbin held herself to high standards, otherwise she wouldn't have been forced by Qiong Yao to sit on a bench for years watching the water dispenser.

Getting multiple NGs during this MV shoot because of Zhou Yi is hard to justify.

"Zhou Yi, tone it down a bit in your acting."

Zhou Xun, unable to watch any longer, stepped in herself to guide him. Zhou Yi was baffled: "What do you mean 'tone it down'? A jerk is supposed to be like this—I have a friend who's exactly like this."

He'd never done MVs with such long, complex plots before; all he needed to do was show his face and sing. Where had he ever endured this kind of torture?

"..."

Zhou Xun, who had almost forgotten she was a law major and only worked part-time as a singer, studied the two carefully, bit her slightly dry and flaky lips in Beijing's weather, then took the stage herself to give instructions.

She was self-taught; if asked to explain a whole set of theories on how to tone it down, she couldn't do it. But she could demonstrate once—show him the feeling, and let him copy.

After all, MV acting doesn't require deep skill—just passable is fine.

After all that gesturing and teaching, not only was Fan Bingbin exhausted, even Zhou Xun was worn out.

She had to be Zhou Yi's free tutor, teaching him how to hold back and how to let loose, forcing herself to play a man so Zhou Yi could follow along, while Fan Bingbin stood by helping.

After being bombarded with knowledge by the two women, Zhou Yi couldn't say he was a great actor, but at least he knew where he went wrong and could correct it.

So when three days later, Zhou Xun finished all her scenes and was about to leave, she couldn't resist a teasing remark—

"I've never been this tired acting on set—on set, at least the actors don't need me to teach them."

"Thank you so much, really, you've worked so hard, sis."

Zhou Yi, knowing it was entirely his fault, hurried to thank her: "If there's ever anything I can help you with, just call me."

He now understood why Zhou Jianhui had assigned Zhou Xun as the female lead in the MV for "Love Me or Him"—beyond the song's status as the second single, it was because the plot was something he might not be able to carry alone, needing Zhou Xun's help to teach him.

If all else fails, when Zhou Xun releases her next album, he'll pick a song from his Chinese music library and give it to her. Now they're in the same company—it's convenient.

After all, Zhou Xun's voice is truly unique, well-suited to certain types of songs.

She also has some singing ability—she used to perform live in bars back in the day.

"Alright, I'm off. You two do your best."

Shouldering her backpack, Zhou Xun left simply and gracefully in her assistant's car, vanishing from the MV set. From now on, only the scenes between Zhou Yi and Fan Bingbin remained.

Like the scene where the two lie together in a hotel room, or... the kiss scene by the piano.

Honestly, when he saw Fan Bingbin, dressed in a red silk loose pajama, her long hair pinned up, Zhou Yi's first impression was sheer awe.

This woman suits red perfectly.

Especially bold red or wine red—these vivid colors maximize the intensity and allure of her features.

"After this MV airs, I think you'll go viral."

Zhou Yi sighed sincerely.

His popularity on the mainland now isn't comparable to Tao Zhe's, let alone Fan Bingbin, who didn't follow the era's trend toward alternative aesthetics. Instead, under his guidance, she wore makeup that maximized her assertive charm—pure diva energy.

Even in this era of diverse tastes, where the "pure white flower" look isn't the only trend, female stars with this kind of diva aura are rare.

Of course, that's also because she's tall—she's nearly 170 cm even in flat shoes. Put on heels, and her presence alone would multiply tenfold.

"Thanks for the good words. When I'm famous, I'll treat you to dinner."

Fan Bingbin, in her heels, tilted her head up to look at him, smiled, then walked to the piano in the scene and began playing.

Actually, she didn't know how to play piano at all.

Zhou Yi, prompted by the director's cue after clearing the set, entered the scene, followed by the fiery kiss between them by the piano.

Zhou Yi's practiced technique left Fan Bingbin struggling to keep up—she was entirely led through it, and when he lifted her off the ground, her bare feet instinctively searched for support after she kicked off her heels—

After that, it was a perfect take—because Zhou Yi dominated the entire scene, leaving Fan Bingbin with almost nothing to do.

After Zhou Yi gently set her down, she put on her heels, looked up at his profile as he turned to speak with the director, recalling the sensation of being completely led through the moment—her gaze grew complex, but then, as if remembering something, it hardened with resolve.

"What? Not enough yet?"

Zhou Yi noticed her staring and turned back, teasing: "You should've said so earlier—I could've purposely NG'd it then."

After days of interaction, with Fan Bingbin's deliberate closeness, the two had grown less unfamiliar.

"Trying to take advantage of me, huh? Deliberately NG-ing?"

Fan Bingbin, now standing in her heels, stamped her foot and scolded: "Zhou Xun was right—you're not acting at all. You should be investigated for how many girlfriends you've had."

"Don't let Zhou Xun mislead you. I've never had a girlfriend—only good sisters and good little sisters. Thank you."

Zhou Yi rolled his eyes: "Don't smear my reputation without cause—I'll sue you, I swear. I know tons of judges and lawyers."

"Yes, yes, the pure, innocent college boy—spotless."

Fan Bingbin shrugged: "Free tonight? Want to grab a drink?"

"Can't tonight—I'm watching a soccer match."

"Really?" The woman's eyes curved, lips lifting: "A match is only ninety minutes—plenty of time left."

"But I also like watching Go."

Zhou Yi spread his hands, smirking: "Besides soccer, I'm a Go enthusiast—I love watching Go matches."

"Really? For example?"

"In Go, there are terms like master move, standard move, and poor move, as well as the concepts of big dragon and killing the dragon."

"Sounds interesting. Teach me?"

Fan Bingbin smiled sweetly. Zhou Yi readily agreed.

That night, still wearing the red silk pajamas from the MV, Fan Bingbin brought wine to Zhou Yi's room, and under the TV and his instruction, deeply learned Go terminology—

Like the most basic Go expression: Master move controls the big dragon!

(End of chapter)