Chapter 14

After breakfast, Ji Changyin took Xu Chaomu to her home gym.

There were two huge mirrors along the walls and some exercise equipment. The room was wide open, almost like a dance studio.

“Let’s run through a few scenes first. I’ll take a look.” Xu Chaomu picked a scene at random, set the script aside, and got started.

She slipped into character in an instant.

Ji Changyin hadn’t quite gotten into the right headspace at first, but the moment she met Xu Chaomu’s eyes, she was in the scene too.

They got through it smoothly. Ji Changyin didn’t feel outshone at all, and she was in much better form than when she practiced alone.

That was what a master could do.

A master could dominate the scene—or bring out someone else’s potential.

No wonder Xu Chaomu was the youngest actress ever to sweep the major film and television awards.

“Very good,” Xu Chaomu said.

“You’re the impressive one. I’m really not that good when I’m not acting opposite you,” Ji Changyin said with a sigh.

“You just found your footing. It’s not as miraculous as you’re making it sound.” Xu Chaomu said, “Have more confidence in yourself. You really are good.”

Ji Changyin smiled. “Teacher Xu just praised me. I’ll have to remember this.”

Xu Chaomu gave her a look. “I can praise you whenever you like. If you do well, I’ll tell you.”

Sure enough, she really was a by-the-book head teacher.

They spent the entire morning rehearsing scenes for three hours. They barely took a break except to drink water.

Xu Chaomu pointed out a lot of things Ji Changyin hadn’t noticed.

Ji Changyin had hoped Xu Chaomu would praise her more, but she’d spent the whole morning doing the praising herself.

“Teacher Xu, you’re amazing. I haven’t heard feedback this perceptive in a long time. You should get a lifetime achievement award—or better yet, they should make a whole new award just for you. You can’t be lumped in with all those ordinary people.”

Xu Chaomu cleared her throat, her face growing a little red under all the praise.

“Don’t say that. The other teachers are very good too. I just happen to be the only one you know right now.” Xu Chaomu said, “And don’t say things like that in public. We’ll both get scolded.”

Ji Changyin sighed dramatically, looking disappointed.

Xu Chaomu gave her a look.

By the time they reached the dining room, the housekeeper had finished preparing lunch.

Ji Changyin had asked what Xu Chaomu liked, so most of the dishes were prepared to suit her taste.

Xu Chaomu looked at the table and frowned, glancing at Ji Changyin.

“Don’t worry, they didn’t use much oil. It’s fine to indulge once in a while, and we’ve burned a lot of energy today.” As she spoke, Ji Changyin put a piece of braised pork in Xu Chaomu’s bowl. “Our cook makes the best braised pork. It’s tender and practically melts in your mouth.”

Xu Chaomu looked at the piece of pork and swallowed. In the end, she couldn’t resist taking a bite.

“I’ll just have one piece.”

“Sure.” Ji Changyin nodded.

Xu Chaomu ate with impeccable manners. It was a pleasure to watch.

After finishing the piece of pork, Xu Chaomu started to put down her chopsticks, but Ji Changyin served her some vegetables.

Xu Chaomu stared at the food in her bowl and took a deep breath.

She ate it because she’d always thought it was rude not to eat something someone had served her.

Thanks to that principle, she ended up eating half a bowl of rice. That wasn’t much compared with Ji Changyin, who ate a whole bowl.

Still, after finishing, Xu Chaomu looked down at her bowl with a guilty conscience.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten this much.”

“How is that a lot?” Ji Changyin frowned. “I ate twice as much as you. If you keep starving yourself, it can’t be good for your stomach.”

Xu Chaomu pressed her lips together. “I’m used to it. I get regular checkups. I’m perfectly healthy.”

“Want to take a nap?”

“Right after lunch?”

“I read somewhere that sleeping after a meal is good for you.”

“Let’s go for a walk instead.” Xu Chaomu immediately rejected the idea.

Sleeping after lunch sounded like a recipe for gaining weight.

The neighborhood was exclusive, and visitors had to pass strict security, so they could walk around without masks or hats. Besides, hardly anyone was home in the middle of the day. If they were worried about being recognized, they could always stroll around the grounds. Ji Changyin’s yard was enormous; it took five minutes to walk from the villa to the main gate.

The two of them wandered along at an easy pace, chatting now and then.

“I’m thinking of moving,” Ji Changyin said. “This place feels a little too far from the city.”

“Where do you want to move?”

“I’ve been eyeing a gorgeous apartment overlooking the river. It’s on the top floor and even has a swimming pool.”

“That does sound nice.”

“It really is.” Ji Changyin sighed. When she’d gone house hunting, she’d taken out her property deeds, and there had been enough to cover an entire table.

She’d flipped through them one by one, and her father had told her that if she didn’t like any of those places, he could buy her something else.

She’d left the stack of deeds on the table for days before putting them away.

Even though she was already rich, seeing all those property deeds had still made her heart race.

If it wouldn’t have been out of character, she would’ve posted a picture of them on Weibo just to brag.

Yes, she really was that tacky.

The neighborhood was peaceful. Ji Changyin and Xu Chaomu walked side by side for ten minutes without seeing anyone but a security guard.

The gardens were almost as big as a park, with greenery everywhere. Just walking through them was relaxing.

It was Ji Changyin’s first time strolling through the gardens since moving in.

“This place is lovely.”

“It is. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lived here this long. It’s quiet, the houses are far enough apart, and there’s plenty of privacy,” Ji Changyin said. “Where do you live?”

“Over at Jiangya International.”

Ji Changyin nodded. “That’s not very far from here. They’re building phase four right now. If you’re interested, I can ask my dad to reserve a unit for you.”

“No need. I’m comfortable where I am, and I’m too lazy to move.” Xu Chaomu shook her head. “Besides, I don’t spend much time at home any time of year.”

“You’re busy.”

“Being busy is good. It’s scary when an actor has nothing to do.”

Ji Changyin blinked.

“Except you.”

Ji Changyin laughed.

“Are you just here to have fun, or do you really plan to keep acting?” Xu Chaomu asked, turning to look at Ji Changyin.

Ji Changyin was the Ji family’s only daughter. It seemed obvious she’d eventually go back to inherit the family fortune.

“I’ll go back eventually,” Ji Changyin said. “For now, I’ll keep acting. No rush. My dad’s only in his forties.”