It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

I couldn't help but gasp; it was just too unexpected.

As mentioned earlier, in this era, playwrights are a respected profession, but this does not mean that actors are. On the contrary, their status is very low. They are almost universally disliked and are considered entertainers.

Although Mr. Stoller had already given up on raising Anne and was no longer letting her grow up freely, this did not mean that he would agree to his daughter becoming an actress.

"Hush! Hush! Hush!"

Annie silenced Li Cheng with a frantic chorus of boos: "Quiet! My name isn't Annie here! Don't expose me!!!"

Upon hearing Anne say that she wasn't called Anne here, Li Cheng instantly understood why Anne had twisted her ankle when she stepped off the stage earlier, and why she had remained silent and pretended to be an expert.

So he promptly stopped talking and then walked towards the actors' dressing room in the corner.

......

The actors' dressing room.

Taking off her sweltering helmet, Annie revealed her short brown hair and tanned face, still looking energetic, though she appeared somewhat disheveled at this moment.

After the intense rehearsals, her temples were soaked with sweat, clinging wetly to her skin, making her look a bit like a drowning dog—and this was just the fake armor. If it were real armor, and it got sunburned... then it wouldn't be a drowning dog, but a pig ready to be cooked.

Annie fanned herself with her hand while panting and complaining, "It's so hot! This outfit is no human being."

Li Cheng complained, "Then why are you wearing it? Wouldn't it be better to just stay home?"

"It's not appropriate to stay at home all day; you have to find something you're good at to do."

Anne scratched her forehead: "I get a headache just looking at books, and I'm not very good at doing business either... It's all thanks to my chance encounter with Miss Therese that I discovered I'm very suited to be an actress."

You... actually have a pretty accurate self-perception?

Li Cheng was shocked and looked at her in disbelief.

Annie was furious when she saw this, and brandished her fist at him, saying, "What are you looking at? I know my place, you know?"

Li Cheng recalled the few times she had taken credit for things, and his lips twitched: "Fine, I'll take it that way."

“Qi”.

Annie reluctantly withdrew her fist, somewhat wistfully saying, "I never imagined you were the original author of this play. What a coincidence—by the way, don't you also think the actors are disrespectful?"

"No, not at all."

Li Cheng answered frankly, “I think acting is a profession, no different from any other profession—but the question is, have you thought about Mr. Stoller? Would he agree to you becoming an actor?”

Li Cheng, coming from modern society, naturally wouldn't discriminate against actors. Even if he did, it would be out of resentment towards the sky-high salaries of popular celebrities, rather than dissatisfaction with the profession itself.

However, everything must be considered in the context of the times. In this era, being an actor is a very "undignified" job, and many actors themselves even believe so.

Especially since Mr. Stoller was a gentleman of status and wealth, even if he were very open-minded, he would not approve of his only daughter becoming an actress.

"Hehe, I think so too."

Anne was initially pleased that someone shared her opinion, but then she lowered her head in frustration: "But my dad definitely won't agree, so I didn't tell him."

Li Cheng paused for two seconds before speaking, "I can choose not to tell Mr. Stoller."

He decided not to get involved in these family matters anymore. Telling Stoller wouldn't do him any good; it would only upset him and anger Anne, making it a thankless task.

Moreover, perhaps Annie is just playing around and will get tired of it after a while? That possibility is quite high.

"By the way, what excuse did you use to go out?"

Just then, Li Cheng suddenly thought of a crucial question. He frowned and asked, "Rehearsals must take a lot of time, right? Going out so often will definitely arouse Mr. Stoller's suspicion. Could it be that you've already been discovered?"

Reason for going out...

Annie didn't answer. Instead, she turned her head to the other side and gave a suspiciously silly laugh: "Don't worry, it shouldn't have been discovered, hahaha..."

Chapter 100 The Old Dog-Headed Strategist

"Don't worry, it shouldn't have been discovered, hahaha..."

Annie's incredibly hasty answer successfully put Li Cheng at ease... Yeah, right! That answer was extremely suspicious! Extremely suspicious from every angle! She was definitely hiding something!

"Hey Hey hey!"

A very ominous thought rose in Li Cheng's mind: "Could this excuse be related to me?"

Anne looked up at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle, without saying a word.

???

At this moment, Li Cheng felt as if a million alpacas were galloping through his mind.

This is really ridiculous! I thought this guy was going to become a Power Ranger and save the world because he was wearing armor, but it turns out he's just Ah Jie who stole the Emperor Warrior's belt and is just a hindrance!

Seeing this, the fake armored warrior Annie explained, "Ahem, actually, this is something I've thought about carefully. Li Cheng, you have a good impression on my dad, and you shouldn't betray me..."

It's a good impression, but that impression will soon fade! Mr. Stoller will definitely mistake me for a prisoner who sheltered you to become an actor here, and he'll write me down in his little notebook.

Li Cheng's lips twitched.

Come to think of it, no wonder she agreed so readily when I invited her to a picnic at her house last time... That bastard should have told me that time! What's going on with keeping it from me all this time??

"It's okay, it's okay."

Anne probably realized she wasn't being very fair, so she waved her hand casually, and you have to admit, paired with that shiny full-body armor (fake), she really did give off the vibe of a heroic female general.

"I'll treat you to dinner later! I've made some money, you can eat whatever you want!!!" she said.

What the hell is this "dinner" thing? What kind of female general invites people to dinner just to put their minds at ease? Besides, do you think everyone is like you, forgetting everything after a meal?

"What should we do then?"

Seeing that Li Cheng still had a deadpan expression, Annie rubbed her hands together in distress: "Why don't you tell me what you like? I'll go buy you a gift."

"..."

Li Cheng sighed and shrugged helplessly: "Never mind, it's not a big deal."

To prevent Anne from being caught too early, he even offered a suggestion: "But it's not enough for you to just say you're coming to see me. Mr. Stoller will definitely be suspicious."

“You can use another superficial thing as a cover, such as you are monitoring the progress of my work’s adaptation and urging the actors not to slack off—well, not this book, ‘Domineering Love,’ you must not let Mr. Stoller know about this one, just mention another book, ‘The Great Eastern Expedition.’”

"This gives you a lasting and credible reason, and most importantly, you really are here to 'oversee' things."

Annie's eyes lit up, and she slapped her thigh, exclaiming, "Wow, Li Cheng, you really are a genius!"

In short, we should keep it a secret for as long as possible; maybe this guy will get tired of it eventually...

Ignoring the flattery, Li Cheng continued to act as his advisor: "As for why you care so much about my theatrical adaptation... well, you can come up with your own reasons. You really like this book, or I asked you for help. In short, feel free to improvise."

He paused, then asked with some doubt, "It should be fine, right?"

"No problem, all right!"

Anne confidently pounded her chest, making a series of metallic clanging sounds.

.....

After a brief exchange between the actors and writers, the two left the dressing room.

However, as soon as he opened the door, Li Cheng was shocked to find that he was surrounded. There were seven or eight people, men and women, standing outside the actors' dressing room, looking at him with great vigilance.

Although Li Cheng didn't quite understand what was going on, he was certain they weren't there for autographs.

"It's alright, it's alright—"

Annie, using the pseudonym "Zhuyu" (seriously, that name is obviously fake, isn't it?), gently pushed Li Cheng aside, walked out the door, and waved to the group: "I was too excited to see the author in person before, but I'm fine now, hahaha, let's continue rehearsing."

Then Annie chatted and laughed with the others as they walked toward the stage.

It seems Annie is quite popular here.

Li Cheng watched Annie leave, then turned to face a maid who was staring intently at him.

"What kind of look is that?" he said, slightly annoyed.

"suspicious."

Holly slowly uttered a very simple word, then emphasized, "Very suspicious."

Li Cheng countered, "Is there a problem with the male lead being interested in a friend of the author of the original work of the play he's starring in?"

Are you sure he's the male lead?

Holly complained.

Sure enough, that way they wouldn't care about that long string of suffixes... Li Cheng coughed twice: "At least that's how it's written in the script."

So rehearsals continued.

Anne continued to take the stage as the male lead. She had heard before that there were many men dressed as women in Peking Opera, but she never expected that Li Cheng would also see it in a foreign drama.

However, Annie was not a big problem as the male lead. She was really good at both physical strength and flexibility and could perform many difficult moves that were in line with the original work, which dazzled Li Cheng.

Although I had seen more elaborate acrobatic performances on television in my previous life, seeing them on television and seeing them in person are two completely different concepts.

Just like when Li Cheng was in the second year of junior high school, at a school party, he, who was usually quiet and reserved, went on stage, picked up the microphone, and sang a song that was 2/3 the level of what you see on TV programs, to the astonishment of all his classmates.

Although Li Cheng had long forgotten what song it was, he still vividly remembered the atmosphere when the whole school went from being lifeless to becoming enthusiastic after the song ended.

Just as Li Cheng was lost in thought, Therese quietly walked up to him and whispered in his ear.

"Confess and you'll be treated leniently."

!

While lost in thought, Li Cheng suddenly heard a voice coming from very close range. He was startled, but then calmed down and asked, "Confess what?"

"Tell me honestly how deep your love for me is~"

?

Li Cheng typed a question mark.

"Just kidding," Therese said with a smile. "What I really wanted to ask about was Little Cornelian Chrysanthemum."

"You should ask her yourself, shouldn't you?" Li Cheng said.

“But Little Cornelian Chrysanthemum never tells me anything about herself; she’s always so vague,” Therese complained.

"Then I'm even less suited to say it, right?" Li Cheng complained. "Besides, if you dare to hire just anyone, don't tell me you don't know anything about it..."

"Xiao Zhuyu went to the theater backstage one day after a performance and asked me if she could try going on stage."

"Because Little Cornelian Chrysanthemum is just my type, she has great potential, and she's very cute, so I took her in right away."