To Expose

Melodious music drifted through the air, lingering and relaxing.

In the center of a magnificent hall’s glow, a tall man and woman stood with wine glasses in hand, conversing with one another.

“Miss Monica’s solo dance just now was truly marvelous. Every movement was perfectly placed; it reminded me of a legend.”

“Oh? And what legend would that be, Mr. Chris?”

“A story from the Kingdom of Zanbi, currently our enemy. I’ve heard the White Provinces there are famous for beauties with graceful movements… Oh, my apologies, Miss Monica. I hope you don’t take offense. You know how easily I overlook sensitive political matters once I start discussing legends…”

“No, no, Mr. Chris. I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I find your vast knowledge—being so well-versed even in the legends of an enemy nation—quite admirable.”

Their voices were gentle and restrained, but their expressions were somewhat cold and stiff, making them appear out of place among the surrounding crowd.

“Miss Monica, you truly enjoy joking…”

“No, no, I assure you that wasn’t my intent, sir. My respect for your scholarship—”

As the two spoke in low voices, the lady known as Monica subconsciously glanced in another direction. In that single moment of distraction—

Zzzzt… zzzzt…

Static-like noise rang out. The light around her body distorted and blurred for an instant. In the next moment, the figure standing there had reverted into a black-haired young girl wearing a dark dress.

“You’re distracted.”

Seeing this, Jiang Li stopped his footsteps on the other side and waved his hand. Following his gesture, the surrounding scenery and figures vanished as if erased by an eraser, revealing the empty, minimalist interior of the acting studio.

“My apologies, Professor.”

Xiao Yuehua bit her lip and lowered her head. “It was entirely my mistake.”

She had merely drifted off for a second, but the feigned emotions she had painstakingly built up evaporated instantly, causing her materialization to collapse.

“Your state seems off today. Do you have other matters to attend to?”

Xiao Yuehua shook her head.

“Waiting for someone, then?”

Jiang Li glanced in the direction Xiao Yuehua had just turned. There was only an ordinary window. However, Xiao Yuehua grew visibly flustered by his movement.

“No… no, it’s nothing, Professor. Please continue. The fault is mine.”

“Is that so?”

Jiang Li turned back suspiciously. He felt certain this little girl was hiding something. After a moment’s thought, he took two steps back.

“Tell you what. Since your condition isn’t right today, let’s temporarily change the lesson content. We won’t perform together. Instead, we’ll do a monologue. I’ll be responsible for helping you stimulate your emotions and identifying the problems.”

“A monologue?”

Xiao Yuehua repeated in a low voice. For some reason, Jiang Li thought he saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes. He dismissed it, assuming his eyes were playing tricks on him. He had been so paranoid lately that he was starting to doubt himself.

“Correct. Take a few minutes to rest. We start immediately.”

“…Okay.”

Xiao Yuehua nodded silently. She couldn’t help but steal another glance at the window, sighing inwardly.

【Maybe Ning Rou was just talking yesterday. She wouldn’t actually come, right?】

For some reason, she simply did not want her friend to intrude upon her private lessons. This small, awkward feeling occupied her heart, making it difficult to ignore.

“Mr. Chris, I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I find your vast knowledge—being so well-versed even in the legends of an enemy nation—quite admirable.”

…

“No, no, that isn’t what I meant, Mr. Chris. In fact, while you men are on the front lines slaughtering the beasts of Zanbi, aren’t we women in the rear constantly providing the logistical support?”

…

“Though our ideals cannot fully coexist, conversing with you has indeed been very pleasant… I would not dream of refusing your invitation to dance…”

The crisp sound of lines being delivered echoed from the studio. Ning Rou instantly recognized the source.

These were the probing lines from the first meeting between the protagonists, Chris and Monica, in her favorite novel, The Masquerade. As a romantic comedy, The Masquerade didn’t just dwell on the personal feelings of the two leads; it featured significant exploration of national politics and difficult choices regarding one’s stance.

Both protagonists were spies from the Duchy of Zanbi, but their positions were polar opposites. One wanted to use the chaos to overthrow a corrupt ruling class and reform the nation, while the other exhausted every effort to maintain stability. Consequently, their first meeting was thick with the scent of gunpowder, and their relationship was incredibly complex.

On one hand, they were enemies with conflicting ideologies, hurting each other. On the other hand, they were both lone wanderers acting as undercover agents in a foreign land, relying on each other for support. This unique and intricate emotional dynamic was the key to the novel’s success.

But now… what was this?

What kind of emotions were being expressed in this performance?

The bloody hostility toward an enemy created by power struggles was being acted out like a little girl throwing a tantrum. The feigned affection forced upon them by external circumstances to hide their identities was being interpreted as a “white lie” born of kindness and an unwillingness to hurt another? And the resonance and pity they felt for each other’s situation when meeting a fellow countryman in a foreign land was actually being performed as one-sided admiration and infatuation?

It was a total mess! Utterly terrible!

What was this? Could this even be called acting? Calling it “treasure covered in dust” was far from enough. This was an insult to the original work! A humiliation! A desecration!

Ning Rou suddenly felt a strong urge to vomit; her stomach churned. This kind of performance, which twisted the essence of the original work so violently, shouldn’t even exist!

And what Ning Rou found most unacceptable was that the person desecrating the art of performance was her very own best friend, Xiao Yuehua!

Cold sweat slid down her forehead as Ning Rou gritted her teeth. Every line her friend spoke was like a blade stabbing into her heart.

“Wrong… it’s wrong… Yuehua’s acting isn’t like this… I saw it not long ago. Her performance was never this blasphemous, twisted thing…” she whispered to herself.

A few minutes later, when Xiao Yuehua’s monologue ended, Ning Rou’s face had turned a frightening shade of pale.

“Not bad.”

The cold voice of a man came from the studio. “Though it was interrupted several times and the emotions were incomplete, you at least finished the performance with a complete immersion in the mood.”

As that voice rang out, a light returned to Ning Rou’s eyes, as if she had caught a lifeline. She recognized that voice! It was that man, Nangong Li!

【That’s it! It’s because of him! He’s the one misleading Yuehua! Yuehua has just lost her way!】

【I can’t watch Yuehua make mistake after mistake. I have to save her!】

Fueled by this conviction, Ning Rou stood up, summoned her courage, and slammed open the door to the acting studio.

“Wrong!”

“It’s all wrong!”

“Everything you said is completely wrong!”

Her near-screaming voice cut off the conversation between the two inside.

“What happened just now… doesn’t even deserve to be called acting!”