The final roles were confirmed, and Song Jianchu would play Princess Lena.
Bai Xingyu and Lu Shen had their respective advantages after the screen test, but the director felt that Bai Xingyu’s temperament better matched his envisioned character of Laree.
The children’s play was simple; with two leading actors present, the rehearsal ended in less than two hours.
The small theater was swiftly set up on the grassland, with children and their parents taking their seats, while other curious tourists could also watch for free.
Forty minutes before the start, all actors and their respective makeup artists were getting into character.
Receiving that light blue princess gown, Song Jianchu calmly took a deep breath, refused the makeup artist’s help, and went into the dressing room alone.
The makeup artist waited outside for twenty minutes, anxiously checking the time, and asked, “Teacher Song, do you need help? I can come in and assist you.”
“No, I’ll be ready soon.”
Song Jianchu was still struggling with the intricacies of the elaborate gown, getting slightly sweaty, and didn’t even glance at the mirror throughout the entire process.
He couldn’t understand it.
Why did the designer use so much fabric on one piece of clothing? Would he even be able to walk in this thing?
It felt like a strong gust of wind could lift him off the ground.
After another two minutes of struggle, Song Jianchu finally managed to put on the princess gown and emerged from the dressing room.
The dress fit him well, except for the slightly heavy skirt. He wasn’t quite accustomed to the feeling of having bare legs under the skirt, but overall, it wasn’t as bad as he had imagined—
“Oh my goodness.” The makeup artist gasped, covering her mouth. “Darling, you look stunning.”
Song Jianchu remained expressionless: “.”
Completing the wig and makeup with closed eyes, Song Jianchu didn’t catch a glimpse of himself transformed into a ‘princess‘, effectively maintaining a calm mindset.
Five minutes before the show, Mu Ye knocked on the door, “Jianchu…”
His voice suddenly stopped.
Mu Ye gazed at the person in front of him in a daze, his eyes slowly sliding from head to toe, then returning to that familiar face.
His chest rose and fell slightly as he took a breath.
Song Jianchu calmly blushed, slowly turning his face away.
Beneath the calm exterior, his mindset gradually cracked open a little.
Mu Ye quietly stared at him for a few seconds, smiled gently, and politely extended his hand, “Your Highness, it’s time to take the stage.”
Song Jianchu sluggishly placed his hand in Mu Ye’s, who closed his fingers around it.
Then they just stood there without moving.
The makeup artist looked at the two motionless figures, puzzled. Weren’t they supposed to go on stage?
Song Jianchu turned his head in confusion, “?”
Mu Ye hadn’t shifted his gaze from his face, his grey eyes looking particularly deep and thoughtful under the lashes.
Was something wrong?
Song Jianchu thought it was okay.
He had sneaked a half-second glance at the mirror just now; the makeup artist was skillful, almost turning him into a girl. And it wasn’t an exaggerated makeup covering his masculine features; it was very natural, he had almost failed to recognize himself.
“What’s the matter?” Song Jianchu asked with a flushed face.
Mu Ye glanced at the makeup artist and said, “Sorry, could you help me convey to the director to delay the start by fifteen minutes?”
Song Jianchu blinked in confusion.
The makeup artist was taken aback, “Uh?… Oh, alright.”
Mu Ye added, “And then I’d also trouble you to do my makeup again, to play the princess.”
The makeup artist paused for a moment, then quickly understood, “Alright, you should hurry and change your clothes.”
As the makeup artist went out to convey the message, Mu Ye pulled Song Jianchu into the dressing room.
Song Jianchu looked bewildered, “Teacher Mu, why do I have to change…”
Mu Ye locked the door behind them, pushed him towards the mirror without explaining, and softly kissed his lips, “There’s no time, hurry and change.”
Song Jianchu couldn’t speak.
Mu Ye was tugging at the drawstring behind the dress while lowering his head to kiss him.
The kiss was restrained yet tender, but even more tantalizing.
The dressing room was filled with the sound of delicate kisses and the rustling of fabric.
Song Jianchu felt inexplicably flushed from the kisses, suddenly remembering he had applied lipstick. He tilted his head to mention it but was turned back by Mu Ye, who pinched his chin. With his other hand, Mu Ye gripped the shoulder of the dress on him, gazing deeply as he gently nibbled on his bottom lip.
When the makeup artist returned, the two had already exchanged clothes, leaving only Mu Ye seated in front of the mirror.
Song Jianchu went to wash his face and remove the makeup, trying to cool down.
Princes didn’t need makeup, so Song Jianchu came back to help Mu Ye with his makeup. However, Mu Ye seemed somewhat distracted, continuously gazing at him affectionately through the mirror.
It felt like an obvious and blatant seduction.
The makeup artist tried hard to shape Mu Ye into a pure and innocent princess, but with his inherent disposition, he looked more like a glamorous and alluring queen, as if he were about to ask the mirror, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”
The makeup artist and Song Jianchu struggled to contain their laughter.
Mu Ye was still quite satisfied, ambiguously gazing at Song Jianchu and asking, “Do I look good?”
Song Jianchu forced a smile, nodding, “Uh, yes, you look good.”
Pei Shinian knocked on the door, “Are you guys ready? Why the sudden delay… Oh my, what’s going on here?”
A well-prepared innocent princess turned into a seductive stepmother straight out of Snow White, leaving Pei Shinian bewildered.
He grabbed his hair in frustration, “Brother, why are you stealing someone else’s role?”
Other actors peered in, all wearing shocked expressions.
Bai Xingyu’s mouth twitched, “I’m out.”
Sheng Yi said, “Uh, this…”
Mu Ye had already gotten into character, gracefully fanning himself and provocatively saying, “I still think I’m more suitable.”
Song Jianchu said, “… There’s no time, let’s just go on stage.”
Pei Shinian had to accept this fact, feeling exasperated as he held his forehead, “Alright, I hope the kids won’t go off-script.”
Bai Xingyu gave Mu Ye a thumbs-up, “Old Mu, you’re amazing.”
Mu Ye took it as a compliment, elegantly nodding, “Thank you.”
Everyone else: “…”
The temporary theater on the grassland was filled with people, including many elderly residents invited from nearby villages. The children were exceptionally excited, staring fixedly at the stage curtain.
A child asked his mom, “Mom, what fairytale is this?”
The mother glanced at the story summary and cast list in her hand, “It’s a princess story, and your favorite, Brother Jianchu, is playing the princess.”
“Wow, a princess!” The child clapped happily. “I love princesses the most!”
The live comments were also buzzing:
[“Is that my son playing the princess?”]
[“Wow, I really want to see my darling in a princess dress!!”]
[“Whoever arranged this is an angel; I want to pay them!”]
[“Show me the beautiful son, Mom!”]
Amidst everyone’s high expectations, the first act began, and the curtain slowly rose.
The children saw an elegant princess facing away from them in the setting and excitedly clapped, “It’s the princess!”
“That dress is so beautiful!”
“Your Highness, the princess!”
But the live comments paused slightly, expressing some confusion:
[“My son isn’t that tall, is he?”]
[“Must be because of the high heels.”]
【Is it just my illusion? Why does this figure look like Teacher Mu??】
Pei Shinian narrated from backstage in a slightly somber tone, revealing a complex emotion, “Long, long ago, there was a beautiful Princess Lena who possessed the greatest wealth in the world…”
Princess Lena turned around slowly and smiled, “Hello, everyone. I am Lena.”
The whole venue fell instantly silent.
All the adults were stunned, and every child had their mouths wide open in amazement.
The live comments rolled in rapidly:
[“Hahahaahaha”]
[“Hahaha, where did this enchantress come from?”]
[“Stepmother, is that you?”]
[“Teacher Mu, you look so beautiful!”]
[“It’s stunning, really stunning, but why do I feel like laughing?”]
[“Mirror, mirror, who’s the most beautiful man in the world?”]
[“Brilliant, truly brilliant, as expected of you.”]
Fortunately, the children were very adaptable. Although the image of this princess was different from what they expected, they didn’t stay stunned for too long and quickly got into the story, interacting with the actors.
At the end of the first act, at the princess’s birthday banquet, Laredo made an appearance.
Bai Xingyu delicately portrayed the jealousy of the God of Wealth. He smashed a mirror studded with gems and stood on the shards, cursing with resentment, “Princess Lena, due to your arrogance and offense, I, Laredo, curse you! At midnight, you will lose all your wealth and treasures, or else your soul and ** will forever remain cold and stiff. Even the Grim Reaper cannot take away your soul!”
The actor’s performance was so immersive that the children were all captivated.
As Laredo was about to exit, Princess Lena suddenly looked sorrowfully at the sky and said, “Why is beauty and wealth my fault? Why does even the divine envy me?”
Laredo: “…”
Princess Lena extended a hand, fervently praying towards the distance, “My beloved prince, please ride your victorious white horse, wielding your invincible sword, and come to protect your beloved Lena.”
Laredo’s eyelids twitched, and he nearly slipped on his exit.
Watching the committed performance on stage, Song Jianchu, holding the prince’s sword backstage, had a twitching corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, the prince wasn’t very eager to go on stage.
Sheng Yi couldn’t resist and curiously asked Song Jianchu, “Junior, is your partner usually like this?”
Song Jianchu: “No.”
Pei Shinian covered his face, “God, my script…”
The children enthusiastically joined in to call for the prince to defeat Laredo, while the adults struggled to contain their laughter.
The live comments were about to burst with laughter:
[“Hahahahaha, help!”]
[“Help, why does this princess smell like tea?”]
[“I’m laughing myself to death, my mom asked me to watch on my phone outside!”]
[“Tea-themed princess!”]
[“Mu Ye, stop singing and go act, you’ll have a bigger stage!”]
In the second act, the wizards appeared, attempting to help the princess lift the curse. Despite the princess exhausting her wealth, she was still frozen into a statue.
In the third act, the prince appeared to rescue the princess.
Before going on stage, the pony supposed to accompany Song Jianchu, playing the white horse, hadn’t been brought in until the last minute.
Mu Ye lay on the crystal bed onstage, waiting for the prince’s rescue.
Backstage, all the actors made way, and Song Jianchu looked surprised at the small white pony.
He was completely stunned, his gaze slowly shifting to the black duckling beside the little horse, his pupils gently trembling.
Song Jianchu was dumbfounded, raising his eyes to meet the young, pretty girl who was holding the reins and smiling at him, handing over the reins, “Hello, Teacher Mu asked me to bring Macaron to see you. Macaron was a gift from Dad to me. Although I can’t return it to you, I thought we could raise it together.”
The little pony seemed to recognize its previous master, and docilely rubbed its head against the hem of Song Jianchu’s clothes.
Song Jianchu carefully reached out his hand and touched the mane of the little white horse.
It took a long time before the sound came out.
Song Jianchu shook his head gently, his voice slightly hoarse: “Just stay with you. Thank you for taking such good care of it.”
The girl smiled and said: “I think we can add a WeChat account. You are welcome to visit it often in the future.”
Song Jianchu and the girl added WeChat.
Pei Shinian came over and whispered: “Jianchu, it’s your turn to appear.”
Song Jianchu held the little white horse with mixed emotions.
The pony was very obedient and followed the lead of its former owner docilely.
[“Ah ah ah ah ah son! ! !”]
[Oh, my little prince!!”]
[“My son is so handsome”]
[“The real prince”]
[“Haha, the little pony is so cute”]
[“It’s so cute, this horse has a little duck on it!”]
Song Jianchu led the horse to the crystal bed, half-picked up the frozen Princess Lena according to the plot, and said the lines. “My beautiful love, nothing can separate us. I swear with this fiery life that we will never be separated from now on. I will fight any existence that is my enemy. I am willing to be Captured by you, born for you, and will be your most loyal knight forever and ever.”
Pei Shinian was surprised. He didn’t expect Song Jianchu to act so well and his emotions were so on point.
Bai Xingyu approved the evaluation: “The mood is good.”
“Are they going to have a real kiss?” Sheng Yi was looking forward to it.
Pei Shinian: “No, I told you at first that it would be more suitable for children’s dramas to borrow the role.”
Sheng Yi was inexplicably disappointed: “I can’t tell that my junior is actually a conservative.”
The children were moved by the prince’s sincerity and looked at the stage eagerly. Some even shed tears in their mother’s arms.
[“My son’s acting skills are really good”]
[“The prince’s emotions are very well controlled!”]
[“Ah ah ah are you going to kiss??”]
[“Kiss me! ! ! Kiss your princess!”]
[“D*mn it, it’s not a love story, don’t expect it, it won’t be a real kiss”]
[“The letter girl is willing to be a vegetarian for the rest of her life, in exchange for a CP kissing scene”]
After waiting for a long time without seeing the prince approaching, Mu Ye thought Song Jianchu was still shy and couldn’t let go.
Just opened his eyes slightly.
Song Jianchu lowered his head and gave a real kiss in the silence of the audience.
Mu Ye’s eyelashes fluttered, and he saw Song Jianchu’s eyes closed attentively, and the ends of his eyes were a little red.
The boy’s lips were a little cold as before, and he pressed them softly, without any movement, and stayed there quietly and sincerely for a long time.
Song Jianchu is indeed a relatively conservative person in terms of love.
It’s difficult to get him to take the initiative once, and it’s still in front of so many people.
An electric feeling like a first kiss.
Mu Ye was beating violently, his throat was dry, and he could barely hold back his desire to respond.
Song Jianchu raised his head slightly and left.
Mu Ye slowly opened his eyes according to the plot and saw the boy’s slightly red eyes.
Mu Ye’s gaze paused, and his heart throbbed slightly.
Song Jianchu curled his lips slightly and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: “Thank you, Teacher Mu.”