My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 180 Lu Man: So you like to play these games~ (Extra Chapters for monthly votes!)

Chapter 180: Chapter 180 Lu Man: So you like to play these games~ (Extra Chapters for monthly votes!)

Standing next to Director Teng was Shasha, who was trying to soothe him.

"Director Teng, don’t be angry. Sister Man has been performing quite well before, hasn’t she? It’s just that she can’t find the feeling right now."

"She feels bad about not being able to perform well, so please don’t blame her."

Hearing Shasha’s words, Teng Yufei looked at Lu Man and sighed softly.

Lu Man was one of the company’s bosses; he couldn’t "hit" her, scold her, or even dare to speak harshly to her.

So he could only complain to Shasha, "I know she’s also under a lot of pressure."

"But after all, this movie is a female lead story, and the shooting schedule of the crew has been delayed because of her."

"What are we supposed to do if she can’t get into the scene to act?"

Shasha frowned slightly and said softly,

"I came over these past two days to solve this problem."

"But... there are no good solutions yet."

She said, "Sister Man didn’t have professional training before, as she had never learned acting. So her acting relies purely on talent, following an Expressionist method. The deeper the actor immerses themselves, the better the effect."

"Previously, she must have been in a bad mood. So she effortlessly immersed herself in the feeling of a breakup, and her performance was outstanding."

"But these past few days, she just can’t find that feeling."

"So, the top priority now is to help her find the feeling of a breakup."

"I’ve been showing her TV dramas about breakups every day to help her cultivate the emotions."

Hearing this, Teng Yufei couldn’t say much else.

He looked at his shooting plan and said, "Then I won’t say anything more. I’ll adjust the shooting plan and give her half a day off."

"You hurry up and help her get that feeling back."

"Otherwise, our film is really in trouble."

Shasha nodded quickly, "Okay, Director Teng."

Chen Yan, who was not far away, listened to their conversation and pondered.

Has Lu Man been unable to get into character these past few days?

Because of... the incident from a few days ago?

Chen Yan thought it over and felt that it must be so.

Last time she took a day off, he had taken her on a shopping spree, their relationship progressed by leaps and bounds, and they had learned several new "positions."

Given her current fondness level of nearly 160, it wouldn’t be a problem to say she’s "deeply in love."

This obviously ruined her mood.

It made her unable to experience the feeling of "breakup."

After all, she wasn’t schizophrenic; it’s not possible to be weepy during filming and then giggling and sending selfies right after.

Thinking of this, Chen Yan also felt a headache.

If this film wasn’t important, none of it would really matter.

Chen Yan didn’t care about the money, he could afford the loss since the system would give him a cashback double the amount.

But the thing was, this movie was crucial.

It was the first movie produced by Chenlu Film Company, and the entire entertainment and film industry was watching.

Moreover, it was Lu Man’s defining work, her proof to the industry of her capabilities.

And what’s even more critical is... this movie was connected to the several hundred million cashback that Chen Yan was counting on.

So Chen Yan had no choice but to take it seriously.

He began to think.

Was there any way to make Lu Man find the feeling of a breakup again?

While looking at Lu Man, Chen Yan tried to think of a solution.

As he thought, his gaze unintentionally fell on Lu Man’s hand.

Suddenly, he brightened up: Hey, there’s a way.

He mulled over this method in his mind and felt... if used well, it could even neatly tie in with the "test of the 10x cashback rule"!

With this thought, Chen Yan no longer waited and strode over.

Suddenly seeing someone approaching, both Teng Yufei and Shasha looked up.

It turned out to be their boss, and the two hurriedly adjusted their mood, smiling and coming over to greet him.

"Boss Chen, what brings you here?"

"Boss Chen."

Chen Yan shook hands with Teng Yufei with a smile and then said, "Nothing much. I was just passing by, so I came to have a look."

After speaking, he casually asked, "How’s the shooting been these past two days?"

Of course, Teng Yufei wouldn’t speak ill of Lu Man in front of Chen Yan, so he quickly replied, "Smooth, very smooth. I estimate that we will be able to complete it according to the plan without a problem."

Chen Yan didn’t expose the truth, just nodded and said, "You’ve worked hard."

After talking with the two for a bit, Chen Yan said he was going to look for Lu Man.

The company’s staff were well aware of the relationship between Chen Yan and Lu Man.

That’s how it is in the entertainment circle.

So Teng Yufei wasn’t surprised and even proactively said, "Boss Chen, Miss Lu Man doesn’t have a shooting schedule this morning, so you can go out and take a walk."

Chen Yan patted his shoulder, "Alright."

After leaving the two, Chen Yan came over to Lu Man.

While Chen Yan was talking to Teng Yufei, Lu Man had already noticed him.

But because she hadn’t been doing well these past two days, she was too embarrassed to come over.

Now that Chen Yan had come over, she sat in her chair, looked up at Chen Yan, and said somewhat sullenly, "You’re here? Did Director Teng speak ill of me?"

Chen Yan walked over to her, smiled, and affectionately touched her head as he said, "How could that be. You’re the boss of the company; how could Director Teng dare to speak ill of you."

Hearing Chen Yan say this, Lu Man instantly cheered up.

She rubbed Chen Yan’s palm happily and smiled proudly, showing her little tiger teeth, "It’s good that he knows his place. Wait until I reward him with a chicken leg!"

Assistant Xiao Tao, standing by, quickly coughed twice and then gently reminded in a low voice, "Public image, public image, Sister Man."

Lu Man: ...

Lu Man slapped away Chen Yan’s hand, held her head up, and looked at him coolly, "You can’t just touch my head whenever you feel like it."

Chen Yan smiled. He found Lu Man’s sudden switch between her off-screen and on-screen persona increasingly amusing.

In the film crew, after all, they had to be mindful of the impact, and they couldn’t chat comfortably. So upon learning that the director had given her the morning off, Lu Man went with Chen Yan and Xiao Tao to the break room, planning to have some food and rest in the break room.

After Lu Man walked away, the crew members quietly discussed among themselves,

"Is Lu Man... dating that Boss Chen?"

"It seems like it, huh? I thought I saw them being quite intimate just now."

"No wonder she’s been struggling to act properly lately. A person in love playing the part of someone who’s experienced a breakup—it’s like a joke."

"Yeah, definitely. But it’s tough on us. Taking so many takes, it’s like a slow death, so exhausting."

"I feel like if this goes on, our movie might fall through."

"Not necessarily. Maybe... Lu Man regains her form this afternoon?"

"How could that be possible! Can you just find form just like that? There’s no chance!"

As the crew members discussed quietly, Chen Yan, Lu Man, and Xiao Tao also arrived at the break room.

In the break room, Chen Yan said to Xiao Tao, "Xiao Tao, go get us something to eat, will you?"

Lu Man, next to him, opened her mouth as if to ask, "Can’t we just order delivery?"

But then she thought that Chen Yan wanted to be alone with her, so she refrained from speaking.

After all, who in a passionate romance doesn’t cherish some alone time?

Thinking this, Lu Man felt a little shy...

...

Once Xiao Tao had left, Chen Yan closed the door and deftly locked it.

Lu Man, watching Chen Yan’s actions, felt her heart thumping.

She had a feeling... Chen Yan was up to something naughty again.

Hmm... naughty things aren’t necessarily bad, as long as they don’t go too deep.

With this in mind, Lu Man lifted her head and looked at Chen Yan with a suggestive gaze, saying, "Come on, let’s make it quick so we don’t have an awkward moment when Xiao Tao comes back."

Chen Yan, who had just closed the door, was full of question marks: ??? What’s with the "come on" and "quick"?

He had closed the door simply because he didn’t want others to overhear him "directing" Lu Man and get the wrong idea.

Was Lu Man being overimaginative?

Although Chen Yan was also somewhat tempted by Lu Man’s suggestiveness, he had to control his desires.

Because he knew that with Lu Man’s current mindset, if he played something interesting with her again, she might as well not bother with the film anymore.

She was a lost cause that no amount of expert guidance could help!

With that thought, Chen Yan walked over to Lu Man, tapped her on the head, and said, "What’s on your mind all day? I closed the door just so we wouldn’t be disturbed by others."

Lu Man leaned on Chen Yan, giggling, "I know. I’m also afraid that they would disturb us."

Chen Yan: ??

What is going on, it’s even weirder now!

This little fairy...

Chen Yan coughed twice, swatted away the hand that Lu Man extended onto his leg, and then said sternly, "Miss Lu Man, please show some respect. I am here as your boss to talk to you."

Hearing Chen Yan say this, Lu Man blinked in surprise and then put on an "Oh, so this is the game you like to play" expression~

Then, she suddenly revealed a seductive smile, reached out with her delicate hand, wrapped it around Chen Yan’s neck, and straddled his lap, coquettishly saying to Chen Yan, "Okay~ Boss~~ I understand."

"So~~ do you want to work first or would you rather first..."

She swallowed the last two words, giving Chen Yan a flirtatious wink.

Chen Yan only felt a surge of electricity running from his back all over his body, causing him to shudder all over.

What is happening! What on earth is this!

Man Man, you’re not acting normal!

You’re really not normal!

Chen Yan felt like he was going insane.

Ever since the two of them confirmed their feelings, this little fairy had been letting herself go a bit, flirting with him all the time, and he felt like his blood was running thin day after day.

And, he really had come to talk about serious business!

He wasn’t here to flirt!

Thinking of this, Chen Yan quickly tried to convince himself in his mind.

He must restrain himself, restrain!

He can’t let this little fairy hook away his soul.

With that thought, Chen Yan took a deep breath, pressed down the tumult in his heart, and placed Lu Man back on the chair again.

He stood up and said with righteous indignation to Lu Man, "Lu Man! I am really here to discuss serious matters! Act normal!"

Seeing Chen Yan serious, Lu Man instantly became a meek little kitty cat, sat on the chair, pouted her lips, looking aggrieved and pitiful at Chen Yan, "Oh~ then go ahead and speak."

Seeing Lu Man’s pitiable expression, Chen Yan’s heart wavered again.

He felt he was done for.

It seemed that he was really falling...

Suppressing his feelings again, Chen Yan seriously asked Lu Man, "Man Man. Have you been having trouble acting these past few days?"

Hearing Chen Yan bring up acting, Lu Man immediately understood what was going on.

She looked at Chen Yan with a fierce cuteness and asked, "Did Director Teng tattle to you?"

With her two little teeth bared, she said indignantly, "I knew he would speak ill of me! So what if I NG’ed a scene more than forty times and still couldn’t get it right. Was there really a need to tattle!"

Chen Yan: ??

Over forty NGs for a single scene?

Chen Yan looked at Lu Man with a caring gaze.

Truly a great weight to manage.

Director Teng really has a good temper, if it were me, I’d probably have blown up by now.

At that moment, Chen Yan suddenly came up with a bold guess: Could the Potential Polaroid have judged that Director Teng was more suitable for this movie precisely because he had a good temperament and could accommodate Lu Man?

If it had been any other director, they probably would have been driven away by Lu Man’s level or would have coped in any way that they could.

Only Director Teng would be willing to keep trying over and over again and even speak up for Lu Man.

With that thought, Chen Yan felt an even greater responsibility on his shoulders.

Bearing the weight is everyone’s responsibility!

He looked at Lu Man and said, "It wasn’t Director Teng who complained, but I heard people discussing it, so I did some inquiring."

"But I really didn’t expect that you could NG over forty times, you’re truly a genius."

Catching herself slipping up in speech, Lu Man quickly covered her mouth and gave an embarrassed smile at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan ignored her and continued, "Actually... I’m here this time specifically to help you regain your acting touch."

"Help me regain my acting touch?" Lu Man looked at Chen Yan in surprise.

She didn’t remember Chen Yan ever acting.

Chen Yan nodded, "Yes."

"I’ve studied the acting approach of actors, such as method acting, experiential acting, Expressionism, and so on. I’ve also done a detailed analysis of your acting skills."

As he spoke, Chen Yan silently added in his mind: Like... just Googled it.

He went on, "Because you don’t have professional training, your acting always follows your feelings. You act well when you’re in tune with the character and poorly when you’re not."

"Your mood mirrors that of the character, you excel; when it does not, you falter."

"This is actually classic experiential acting."

Lu Man’s large eyes looked at Chen Yan, a bit confused, "Oh... I see."

She really hadn’t expected that Chen Yan seemed to actually understand acting.

And Chen Yan continued, "So, you were arguing with me before... um, and because you were down, it matched with the movie’s female protagonist. So, you acted very well."

"But now, because you’ve reconciled with me, and these past few days, we’ve been on dates, shopping together."

"And..." Chen Yan paused, looking at Lu Man vaguely, "those things happened."

"So, your mindset is off, and that’s why your acting is off now."

Chen Yan, "This is because you’re currently in a state of passion, not heartbreak."

"Your mindset differs from that of the movie’s female lead. Your performance ends up disconnected."

Hearing Chen Yan’s words, Lu Man nodded and said, "I think what you’re saying is right. I’ve noticed it, too. But... how should I deal with it?"

Chen Yan took a few steps in front of Lu Man and then said, "It’s simple. Just need to help you rediscover the feeling of heartbreak."

"Rediscover the feeling of heartbreak...?" Lu Man muttered the phrase softly and then felt a sense of foreboding.

After a moment’s thought, she suddenly threw her leg up, looked at Chen Yan fiercely, and said, "You’re not planning to set me and Qiao Qiao up with a ’third sister’, then let me experience heartbreak again, are you?"

The always serious Chen Yan broke for a second, almost spit blood,

"What are you rambling on about!"

"I don’t have such an idea!"

Sudden retort amused Chen Yan for a bit, and Lu Man instantly came back to her triumphant self, she said, "Fine then~ so tell me, what’s the method."

Chen Yan: ....

This little fairy, really knows how to get me...

Clearing his throat twice, Chen Yan regained his serious demeanor and said, "Actually, the method is quite simple. It’s giving you a stimulus to rediscover the feeling of heartbreak and then, without ruining that feeling, act with it."

Lu Man asked, "How do you experience that?"

Chen Yan started "explaining the act" to Lu Man, "Think about it carefully, what does heartbreak feel like?"

Lu Man looked at Chen Yan. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

Chen Yan gesticulated and explained, "Isn’t it like a red-hot iron wire thrust ruthlessly through the heart, then wrung and twisted?"

As Chen Yan described this, images came to Lu Man’s mind and her hands instinctively clenched.

Seeing Lu Man’s reaction, Chen Yan nodded slightly and continued,

"Or, it’s like a chunk of your heart has been gouged out."

"It still works, but there’s always this sense of something missing."

"Normally you might not notice, but when you reminisce, you realize, oh... you’re no longer whole."

Chen Yan’s words may not have been novel, but his metaphors were exceptionally vivid.

So as she listened to his metaphors, Lu Man couldn’t help but feel as though a wire or a knife was threading through her heart, gouging it out.

It was a kind of physical discomfort.

Like you might not have heard fingernails scraping a chalkboard, but when someone describes it, the hairs on your body stand on end involuntarily.

Seeing Lu Man gradually getting into character, Chen Yan nodded again.

Then, he stretched his right hand out to Lu Man.

Still immersed in that uncomfortable feeling, Lu Man looked up at him blankly and reflexively extended her right hand as well.

Chen Yan’s right hand clasped her pale one, then his left hand landed on her wristwatch.

This watch was bought by Chen Yan and Lu Man together.

It was the most expensive out of the dozens of gifts, a Vacheron Constantin Star Series Watch valued at more than six hundred thousand.

Chen Yan touched Lu Man’s watch and asked curiously, "Do you like it?"

Lu Man didn’t understand why Chen Yan was asking this but nodded.

Chen Yan "hmm"ed in response, "Good if you like it."

Saying that, he took the watch off her wrist.

Lu Man looked at Chen Yan’s actions, somewhat puzzled.

Uncertain about what Chen Yan intended to do.

Chen Yan touched Lu Man’s watch and then asked curiously again, "Do you like it?"

Lu Man didn’t understand why Chen Yan was asking this and merely nodded.

Chen Yan "hmm"ed in response, "Good if you like it."

Saying that, he took the watch off her wrist.

Lu Man looked at Chen Yan’s actions, somewhat puzzled.

Wondering what Chen Yan was planning.