Chapter 11: Day 11 of Transmigrating into an Object

Zhang Yang and Shen Wenyi returned together, both holding water cups. In winter, almost everyone on a film crew carries one; taking a sip helps warm you up between scenes in the cold.

Director Chen, never one to stand on ceremony, told everyone to eat while watching her direct the shot. Everyone played along, picking up their chopsticks together.

She had thought of this method the moment she saw her water cup in the hotel, in less than ten seconds. It might be full of holes, but she couldn’t worry about that now. Completing the mission came first.

She dragged her chair over to the window and pulled back the curtains. This was the third floor; outside, only dark windows were visible, but that didn’t matter. Post-production could photoshop it. The important thing was the window itself.

She placed her chair with its back beneath the windowsill, then gestured for Zhang Yang and Shen Wenyi to bring their chairs over too. Three chairs now stood in a row.

Once everything was set, she took the mission water cup from Shen Wenyi’s hand, unscrewed the lid, and poured in over half a cup of hot water. Seeing the steam wasn’t thick enough, she added a bit more. If all else failed, post-production could fake it.

She loosely placed the lid back on without screwing it tight and handed the cup back to Shen Wenyi.

“Careful, it’s hot.”

Shen Wenyi glanced at her, said nothing, and stood aside holding the cup with both hands, watching her.

Zhang Yang unscrewed his own cup lid and proactively handed it over. She poured over half a cup of hot water for him too, leaving the lid loosely on top.

Zhang Yang then picked up her water cup, unscrewed it, and handed it to her, making as if to let her pour water.

She smiled and said, “No need. You two are the male and female leads. You need to have your lids unscrewed. I don’t. It’s fine even if I don’t add water.”

The crowd teased Zhang Yang, saying how incredibly eager he was the moment he saw Teacher Jiang.

Zhang Yang’s face turned bright red.

They were all actors, and their identities were sensitive, so the crowd stopped after just a bit of ribbing.

She told Zhang Yang to sit on the left, Shen Wenyi in the middle. She went next door to invite the cameraman over, then sat on the right, waving a hand and smilingly gesturing for the onlookers to step aside and not wander into the shot.

The cameraman’s professional gear was with the film crew, but he did have a DSLR in the car. He was about to go down and get it, but Jiang Shiyang said, “No need for all that trouble. A phone photo will do. It needs to be photoshopped later anyway.”

The cameraman looked at Director Chen, who nodded. It wasn’t a particularly important official announcement anyway; the official Weibo account would prepare her character stills separately to announce her as the new female supporting role. This photo was just for her personal Weibo, to coordinate with the official announcement.

Director Chen didn’t ask about her concept. He just rested his chin on his hands and watched her arrange the male and female leads, occasionally glancing at Shen Wenyi.

Jiang Shiyang didn’t know what Director Chen was thinking, but she guessed it had something to do with her supposed discord with Shen Wenyi. Director Chen was probably feeling sorry for Shen Wenyi, who, despite clearly finding her so irritating, had to follow her directions now to save Director Chen’s face.

Heh, thinking about it that way, her mood actually seemed to improve.

Jiang Shiyang was in a good mood, the corners of her lips involuntarily turning up.

“Teacher Zhang, Teacher Shen, do what I’m doing. Clamp the water cup right here.”

Sitting in her chair, she clamped the water cup in the space behind her knees, holding only the very bottom, leaving most of the cup exposed.

Zhang Yang copied her, clamping his cup and trying to keep it level with hers. Shen Wenyi looked at the two of them, smiled slightly, and asked, “Why do it like this? Is there some meaning behind it?”

See, see? Unwilling to cooperate, aren’t you?

If it were her being ordered around by Shen Wenyi, she would’ve snapped too. And she even had to sit next to Shen Wenyi. Though they weren’t actually touching, Shen Wenyi was definitely disgusted.

If Shen Wenyi was disgusted… then she was happy! Over the moon happy!

She returned Shen Wenyi’s smile with an even brighter one. “The water cup represents warmth, represents affection. You are the female lead. My feelings for you are the loyal and unwavering devotion of a servant, while Zhang Yang’s feelings for you are an undying love. We both wanted to give our warmth to you. In the end, Teacher Zhang opened your cup lid, letting the warmth overflow—meaning he moved your heart. As for me, despite all my effort, I still failed.”

As soon as she finished, Director Chen took the lead in applauding. “Good! Well thought out! It fits the plot perfectly!”

That’s considered fitting? There’s even more that fits.

She continued, “The ending has the male and female leads together, so Teacher Zhang’s cup is opened by Teacher Shen—the general and the princess opening each other’s. I’m beside you, trying my best to protect the princess, but in the end, I only manage to touch the rim of the cup. And my own cup is opened by no one, showing that no one can give me love, and foreshadowing Nangong Wanwan’s death.”

Director Chen clicked her tongue in admiration. “You really can spin a story. You came up with all that in just two or three sentences.”

She pretended to be annoyed with Director Chen. “What nonsense are you talking about? I’ve been pondering this for days.”

Director Chen laughed. “I praise her for being smart and she gets upset. Some people, I swear.”

The crowd echoed the sentiment, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.

But Shen Wenyi suddenly spoke up: “Why clamp it with your legs? Wouldn’t holding it against your heart better express the deeper meaning?”

Shen Wenyi!

If you don’t speak, no one will mistake you for Hello Kitty!

Someone nearby chimed in, “Yeah, wouldn’t holding it against your heart be better?”

Director Chen also looked over, not speaking up to help her, just waiting to see her explain.

She mentally flayed Shen Wenyi a hundred and eight times over before turning to her with a cold, forced smile. “Because we are all people bound by constraints. I am bound by feudal ethics and rites, you are bound by family and country, and he is bound by the common people of the land. Our feelings are all shackled. The legs represent the things that bind us.”

Shen Wenyi finally shut up.

Why is it so difficult to get you to cooperate with anything? Even under the banner of the film crew, you’re this dawdling and nitpicking.

She wanted to curse.

She held it in.

Her face held a smile the entire time. Her professional quality ensured that even while cursing inside, her outward expression remained that of a goddess.

The cameraman told them to take their positions: the three of them sitting in a row by the window, her touching the rim of Shen Wenyi’s cup. One of Shen Wenyi’s hands guarded the cup clamped between her legs, while the other reached for Zhang Yang’s cup, partially lifting its lid. Zhang Yang mirrored her, one hand guarding his own cup, the other reaching to partially lift Shen Wenyi’s cup lid.

Warm mist rose from both their water cups; only her cup was tightly sealed.

All three wore smiles on their faces. She looked at Shen Wenyi. Shen Wenyi and Zhang Yang gazed at each other. Tch, someone who didn’t know better would think she was the third wheel.

But this also fit the plot. In the series, the audience initially thought Nangong Wanwan liked the general too.

The cameraman directed them—hands higher, hands lower, the cup is crooked, straighten it. Clamping the cup between their legs for sixty seconds was ridiculously easy.

She glanced at the system’s timer; sixty seconds had long since passed. A wave of relief washed over her.

Thank you, Director Chen! Next time you drag me out of bed, I won’t curse you!

But… she’d already exceeded the time by so much. Why hadn’t the system reacted? Shouldn’t it have prompted the mission completion by now?

Was it a system bug? Or…

A sudden sense of foreboding washed over her.

【Host: Why hasn’t the mission completion prompt appeared yet?!】

【System: The Host is not currently inside the water cup. Cannot proceed with the determination!】

Jiang Shiyang: ………………

There’s one curse I just can’t hold back.

Go to hell, you ooxx%^&@^&&##!!!