Chapter 253: The Few Seconds of Ambiguous Excitement

As soon as Xu Chujing walked into the recording set of *Classics in China*, she drew a crowd.

The staff members looked at her, some shocked, some dazed, or... incredibly excited.

A few young female staff members huddled together, whispering excitedly: "Mo-Xu is real! Mo-Xu is real!"

"Are the two of them really dating?"

"Ahhh, why am I even happier than if I were dating myself!"

It is quite strange; many people are truly happier watching others date than dating themselves.

Control! Control your auntie-smiles!

At this moment, Luo Mo was chatting and seeking advice from several actors from the National Theatre of China, and after receiving a WeChat message from Xu Chujing, he went outside to meet her.

"Whoa! You bought so much food?" Luo Mo said, glancing at the things Xu Chujing and her assistant were carrying.

"I was afraid there would be many people," Xu Chujing said with a smile.

"Let me take it." He took the lunch and led Xu Chujing toward the lounge.

Naturally, Xu Chujing knew Luo Chun and the others.

On the contrary, many viewers might only recognize their faces and know what roles they have played, but cannot name them.

In fact, for many actors of the older generation, it is always the characters that are famous, not the people themselves.

Luo Chun and the others were also slightly surprised to see Xu Chujing come to visit the set.

This Diva and Best Actress has very high National Popularity; everyone present had heard her singing on the streets and in the alleys.

Luo Chun looked at the beaming Luo Mo, then at Xu Chujing, and seemed to perceive something from the traces of how the two interacted.

Then, a meaningful smile appeared on the old man's face, and he became a bit more enthusiastic toward Xu Chujing.

He even took the initiative to stand up and have the other middle-aged stage actors move over, letting Luo Mo and Xu Chujing sit together.

Come to think of it, seven or eight years ago, Luo Chun had even played the Matchmaker in a drama...

By the time everyone took the sumptuous lunch out of the insulated bags, Ning Dan, who had finished her work, also arrived at the lounge.

As soon as she entered the room and saw Xu Chujing, the smile on her face stiffened briefly, then became even brighter.

"Chujing, why didn't you tell me when you came to visit the set?" Ning Dan said with a smile.

Xu Chujing looked calm and said, "I sent you a WeChat, didn't you see it?"

"Is that so? I've been busy and didn't notice." Ning Dan sat down beside Xu Chujing and joined the ranks of the diners.

During the meal, everyone chatted about the program, about stage plays, and about acting.

Xu Chujing rarely interjected; she just sat beside Luo Mo, wearing a faint smile, carefully listening to the content of everyone's conversation.

Since the dining table was a long one, Luo Mo would occasionally pick up dishes for her that she couldn't reach.

A group of old men watched this scene, and then one by one, they just laughed there.

Ning Dan would look at the two of them from time to time, lost in thought.

After the meal, Luo Chun and the others still had to record some additional content, and Luo Mo also had a Backstage Interview to record.

Ning Dan stood beside Xu Chujing and suddenly asked, "You two, are you..."

Xu Chujing looked at her, met her gaze directly, and said without changing her expression, "Not yet."

The three words "not yet" carry quite a lot of information.

"No" and "not yet" are two completely different concepts.

Ning Dan nodded, did not continue to press, and then said, "I'm going to prepare for the second episode."

"Mm, you go ahead," Xu Chujing said.

She watched Ning Dan's Back Shadow as she walked away, withdrew her gaze, and began to wait for Luo Mo to finish recording the Backstage Interview.

Since part of it had been recorded before, and now they were just adding some interview content as a backup, Luo Mo finished recording in just over ten minutes.

After walking out of the room, he looked at Xu Chujing waiting outside and said, "Why are you sitting outside waiting? You could have just waited for me in the lounge."

Xu Chujing shook her head and said nothing.

"Let's go, I'll take you to an open class on acting," Luo Mo said with a smile.

At three in the afternoon, the recording of the second episode was to begin.

The actors from the National Theatre of China were already rehearsing.

The content of the second episode was *The Exploitation of the Works of Nature*, and Luo Chun, who was responsible for the *Book of Documents* part, had actually finished his work.

But he didn't leave; he was kept by the middle-aged actors of the second episode, who requested his guidance.

Luo Chun's status in the National Theatre of China is also extraordinary; this man has textbook-level acting skills, and with him giving pointers on the side, everyone felt more at ease.

At this time, everyone had already changed into their costumes, and their makeup was also done.

The afternoon recording was for the segments of Song Yingxing in his Youth and Middle Age.

For the Old Age segments, Luo Mo would make modifications to the styling.

He would correct the hairstyle issue that was the most controversial among the audience on Earth regarding the *The Exploitation of the Works of Nature* episode.

This group of stage actors' rehearsal, with Luo Chun giving pointers on the side, could truly be considered an open class on acting.

As a Reader, Luo Mo certainly had to participate, while Xu Chujing became an auditor.

Throughout the process, everyone discovered that Luo Mo had a very high aptitude.

Liao Pengcheng, the middle-aged actor playing Song Yingxing in the second episode, couldn't help but say, "Luo Mo, I think you are a good seed for acting in stage plays."

Luo Chun, who was on the side, spoke up: "Although stage plays and dramas have great differences, they also have some paths that lead to the same destination. Luo Mo has a solid foundation in drama, so whether it is the expressiveness of his lines or his facial control, he has a very good foundation."

As he spoke, he smiled and said, "Little Luo, if you ever want to get your fix of stage acting, you can tell me, and I'll take you to perform a few shows."

Upon hearing this, Luo Mo's eyes lit up immediately.

"Then I will trouble you when the time comes," Luo Mo said very sincerely.

Everyone was slightly surprised that Luo Mo wanted to act and learn so much.

Because the entertainment industry today is very restless.

Not many people are willing to spend their time and energy on acting in stage plays.

Not to mention that it doesn't pay much, it can also be even more tiring than filming.

The reason Luo Mo attaches such importance to this point is because Hu Ge set a fine example.

After Hu Ge figured some things out, he calmed his heart and polished his acting skills with perseverance, participating in a stage play called "A Dream Like a Dream".

This caused a very obvious transformation in his entire person.

So much so that now that he has temporarily stopped acting in stage plays, many Top Traffic young actors have started to study and imitate his experience, following him by diving headfirst into the stage play circle.

The actors here are all people from the National Theatre of China.

They also film and make movies, but stage plays are also one of their main jobs.

Seeing that Luo Mo, this current Top Traffic star, values stage plays so much and even shows a hint of excitement, they are naturally friendlier toward him.

After all, they are all very clear that even if he only follows along to perform for a short time, the time and energy spent here is enough for Luo Mo to earn tens of millions in other areas.

Luo Chun looked at Luo Mo, then looked at Xu Chujing, and the old man who had shaped the perfect image of the Matchmaker suddenly spoke: "If Little Xu is also interested, you can come with Little Luo when the time comes."

"Okay!" Xu Chujing agreed immediately.

To her, this could be of great help to her film career.

Some of the problems she was most troubled by this year seemed to have been solved by Luo Mo just like that.

This means that next year in the film circle, she might be able to walk more smoothly.

No, it might be much smoother!

………

………

After the rehearsal ended, everyone had about half an hour to rest and adjust.

Luo Mo and Xu Chujing sat in the lounge chatting.

"Has Director Qian looked for you?" Luo Mo asked.

"Director Qian Qingyun?" Xu Chujing glanced at him and then said: "You mean the invitation for the Spring Festival Gala, right?"

Luo Mo nodded.

Xu Chujing said: "He contacted me, but he hasn't decided yet which part he wants me to be responsible for."

In the years since Xu Chujing debuted, she has already been on the Spring Festival Gala three times.

Each time, she left behind stunning performances on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala.

Her first time on the Spring Festival Gala was a duet with another female Singer.

The second time on the Spring Festival Gala, it was upgraded to the highest treatment—a solo performance.

Xu Chujing looked at Luo Mo and said: "Director Qian should have invited you too, right?"

Luo Mo nodded.

For the National Day Gala directed by Qian Qingyun, because of Luo Mo's song "Loyalty to the Country", various data points hit new highs for recent years.

I made an exception for you, inviting a pure Newcomer to participate in a large-scale gala, and then, you went and broke the record.

Therefore, when he directed the Spring Festival Gala again, he thought of Luo Mo immediately.

"Did he mention the program arrangements?" Xu Chujing asked again.

"He gave me a hint, preferably a Chinese Style song." Luo Mo turned the thermos cup in his hand and took a sip of hot water.

"A new song?" Xu Chujing became interested immediately.

"Not necessarily, I haven't thought it through yet," Luo Mo said.

There are too many songs that can be on the Spring Festival Gala, and this is his debut on the Spring Festival Gala, so he has to think it over carefully.

"By the way, "Cat Demon" is officially ending its theatrical run today," Xu Chujing said to Luo Mo.

Actually, logically speaking, given the performance of "Cat Demon", it should have ended its run half a month ago.

But the film market has been a bit sluggish recently, and "Cat Demon" could be considered the best of the bunch, so its performance was passable, and the Review Department extended the 【decryption key】.

Luo Mo looked at Xu Chujing's expression and found that her mood was low when she said this.

"Cat Demon" is the first film she values extremely highly; it looks like the box office is quite high, but in reality, it only made a small profit.

In the eyes of outsiders, her film debut can be described as a great success.

But in the eyes of investors and industry insiders, this is Xu Chujing's first stumble since switching to the film and television industry.

Many people even say that if not for Luo Mo's participation and the heat and Box Office Appeal generated by their interaction, this film might not even have broken even.

Including in the eyes of the audience, this can only be considered a film with a standard above the passing line; it didn't have that stunning feeling that makes you more addicted the more you watch, like when Xu Chujing acts in television dramas.

Luo Mo got up to pour her a cup of hot water at the water dispenser and then comforted her with a few words.

He is sometimes serious, and sometimes he has no proper demeanor, acting roguish.

When it comes to comforting people, Luo Mo actually has some skill; the things he says sound very reasonable, but if you think about it carefully, they are actually nonsense, and he will interject with jokes along the way, making you unable to help but want to laugh.

What's more, Luo Mo is indeed doing things personally, providing help to Xu Chujing through "Classic in the Classics", allowing her to regain her confidence.

Xu Chujing took a small sip of the hot water Luo Mo poured and said: "Thank you for comforting me like this; I feel much better."

In the lounge, a lone man and woman, Luo Mo threw a direct pitch.

Luo Mo looked at her and said feignedly casually: "No, I think I'm coaxing you."

(ps: First update, asking for monthly tickets!)

(End of this chapter)