I'm Crushing on Gorgeous Faces in Variety Shows!-Chapter 224: Tsk

Shu Ran read it twice and still didn’t quite understand.

"What does this mean? This alley is called Shengyi Lane, but what is Clamp Cave? Is there a cave in this alley?"

What does ’survival by losing a tail’ mean? It feels so cryptic.

But generally, things that are cryptic are the most impressive.

Cheng Zhirang took the note back, folded it neatly, and said, "I don’t know either. Maybe we can look for it. Are you in a hurry right now?"

This was clearly a hint for help, and Shu Ran, being perceptive, understood instantly. She didn’t even look at her identity card, putting it away directly, and said, "I’m not in a hurry, Brother Cheng, let me help you look for it."

"Thank you."

The elegantly dressed nobleman walked gracefully on the cobblestone road, beside a woman in a dark green cheongsam, fanning herself with a round fan, creating a captivating scene.

Their silhouettes seemed well-matched... if only Cheng Zhirang’s smile behind wasn’t so sinister.

Shu Ran walked ahead, genuinely checking every spot, trying to help find a place called Clamp Cave.

Cheng Zhirang followed her one step behind, observing her actions silently until she walked past a cracked wall, where he quietly called for a stop.

"There’s writing on this brick."

Shu Ran stepped back to him, leaned in closer to the gray brick he pointed at, and indeed, faintly saw three faded and nearly worn-out characters.

Clamp Cave.

Shu Ran couldn’t quite believe it: "Clamp Cave... is just a cracked wall?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"I think you can go inside," Cheng Zhirang said, bending down to peek through the cracked opening, "Inside is a dilapidated courtyard. There should be a door to get in; let’s look for it."

Shu Ran nodded in agreement.

Circling the wall halfway, they finally found an old wooden door at the end of the alley to enter the courtyard.

Shu Ran held her fan to her nose, frowned slightly, and led the way inside.

Inside there was an old, dry, dusty smell, not pleasant. The whole courtyard exuded a desolate, abandoned feel.

Fortunately, in the center of the courtyard there was a tree, its branches and leaves differing in color from top to bottom, with new green and yellow hues, adding a sparing touch of seasonal color to the decay.

As they walked in, Cheng Zhirang followed Shu Ran closely, watching her look around, and then discover the identity card on the stone table under the tree.

The semi-permanent smile at his mouth gradually faded unseen, as he lowered his eyes and slightly lifted his head.

Instantly transforming into an aloof, cold, superior looking down at ants in calamity.

The change was so absolute that the staff filming around them feared making a sound, lest it disturb his performance.

Even Shu Ran’s assistant stared nervously at Cheng Zhirang, so engrossed in the aura he projected during the act that he had no time to signal or hint Shu Ran.

Shu Ran thus freely discovered the identity card on the unassuming stone table under the tree.

"It’s an identity card!" she exclaimed in delight, turning to call Cheng Zhirang over, "It should be yours, right, Brother Cheng? Take a look!"

Cheng Zhirang returned with a smile, picked up the identity card obscured by leaves, and opened it for a look.

His delicate, shaped eyebrows slowly furrowed.

Shu Ran asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Yet again it’s incomplete," he said helplessly, turning the identity card over to show her.

[She doesn’t hold any importance for you, why be soft-hearted? Let her die.]

...What a jerk line.

Shu Ran frowned, her expression subtle: "Who does ’she’ refer to? It seems like someone wrote this identity card, who is inducing you with this written identity card?"

Cheng Zhirang shook his head.

Shu Ran laughed softly, "They have real imagination, crafting identities without explicitly telling you—feels so complex."

Cheng Zhirang also seemed helpless, glancing around, "Supposedly, there should be a guest performing this story as well."

"But there’s no one." Shu Ran just looked over; the two doors were locked. Outside, apart from this bare courtyard, there’s nowhere for anyone to hide.

Following her glance, Cheng Zhirang looked twice, then locked his gaze on her, hesitating.

"Could it be you?"

"...Me?!"

Shu Ran was momentarily baffled, looking at her own cheongsam, then his suit, before saying.

"Brother Cheng, we aren’t from the same era."

Cross-time collaboration easily leads to issues!

Cheng Zhirang smiled, "No worries, just imagine if you were the ’she’ in here, what do you think would happen?"

His smile was genuinely handsome, constantly acknowledged as a gentleman with serious intent, unlikely to cause trouble, so despite some awkwardness, Shu Ran chose to believe him.

She even actively crafted a reason: It’s Brother Cheng guiding her in acting! Such a rare opportunity must be seized!

She thought seriously, saying, "This might be a story of a concubine with tenderness met with indifference?"

Cheng Zhirang nodded in agreement.

Encouraged, Shu Ran said, "Perhaps someone captured her to threaten you, but you felt nothing for her, so you watched coldly with no intent to save her!"

"I think it’s like that. Your analysis is right, would you mind playing through this storyline with me again?"

Shu Ran was taken aback, "Act it out?"

"Yes, the first note I drew asked me to act it out. I fear the subsequent ones might be similar," pausing to enhance credibility, he added, "Back then I encountered Mu Qiu."

Mu Qiu, ah~

Compared to the mere amateur Mu Qiu, at least she has starred in a few productions, her performance shouldn’t be worse.

Thinking for two seconds, she swiftly agreed.

Soon Shu Ran pretended to have her arms restrained, slumping to the ground, gasping in fear, swiftly shifting to joy upon seeing someone.

Her acting skills were apparent, though not polished, even slightly stiff. The strong burst of hope and delight she tried to express only came through halfway.

Cheng Zhirang habitually appraised the opposing performance in his mind, and waited until Shu Ran wondered why he hadn’t moved before making the next move.

His leather shoes softly tread the cobblestone, approaching her, then crouching before her, knees above the ground, legs crossed, elbows resting on knees.

Giving a sense of oppression.

Shu Ran improvised some lines herself, breathlessly repeating ’save me’ twice.

Cheng Zhirang just squatted there, watching her every move with narrowed eyes.

Seeming to wait for her to tire from struggling.

"Tsk."

A light sound, he curled his index finger, scratching the blush area on Shu Ran’s cheek as if rubbing off the blood.

"How pathetic."

Shu Ran looked at his expressionless face, cautiously handling her like wiping water off a doll at home, suddenly sensing a chill down her spine.

————

Shu Ran: ...Brother Cheng, you rubbed off my blush!