174 - I Don’t Want to Be Turned Into the Female Protagonist by the System

# Chapter 174 - Twin Smiles Turn Back, Ten Thousand Soldiers Surrender (6th Update) (To celebrate a reward from the illustrious "Yan Di" of "Lone Boat T7”!) With a graceful flick of her wrist, Su Qi spun the sword in her small, delicate hand, capturing the attention of everyone present. Unlike the previous actor, the sword seemed to come alive in Su Qi's hand. Initially, she was just familiarizing herself with the sword and the slightly elevated embroidered shoes, but gradually, she settled into the role. At this moment, the sound technician seemed to notice Su Qi was ready and played a segment of "Traversing Mountains and Rivers," the theme song of "The Heroic Couple." Su Qi began to synchronize her movements with the rhythm of the song as she wielded the sword. As the song progressed into its latter half, her movements were graceful and fluid. With each sweeping motion of her sleeves, her azure costume and pale yellow skirt shimmered together, resembling a veil of rosiness lightly brushing over the spectators' hearts. She rose as if riding the wind and sank like a lotus breaking waves. Su Qi’s soft body twisted elegantly, her flowing sleeves dancing like clouds parting after a storm. Lightly she tipped her toes, her long skirt fluttering like snow. As her silver bells tinkled with her every step, she resembled a celestial being gracefully descending from the clouds. With the song's conclusion, Su Qi came to a poised stop, frozen in an exquisitely beautiful pose! She was slightly surprised that despite the song ending, her brother and Ouyang Nana had yet to take the stage. Not wanting to dance again, her smile didn’t fade as she turned around to see what was going on. Unbeknownst to her, she looked ethereal, and her smile added a touch of transcendent innocence. Director Zhang glanced at the entranced crowd and could think of just one poem to describe the scene: Twin smiles turn back, ten thousand soldiers surrender. If this girl lived in ancient times, she might very well have been a captivating femme fatale akin to Daji, bringing ruin to cities and nations. At this moment, Su Siyang finally came back to his senses and stepped onto the stage. As the male lead of "The Heroic Couple," he also played Su Qi’s character's father. Su Qi, seeing someone finally on stage, breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that her physical state was not quite right. Usually, even dancing for another half hour would be no problem, but now her calves were trembling. Perhaps it was the large audience that made her too nervous? Su Qi could only think this, and fortunately, the broad hem of her Hanfu dress concealed her slight trembles! "Xiao Zi, by noon tomorrow, you must dance three more times!" Su Siyang instructed. His character in the script was a strict father. "I refuse," Su Qi retorted, making a face at Su Siyang before scurrying off according to the script to seek refuge with her onscreen mother, Ouyang Nana. In the end, the playful Xiao Zi managed to get away with her antics, incited by her mother’s reluctance to see her suffer, while Su Siyang sighed in resignation, his mouth hinting a faint smile. Two once legendary figures had now retired to the mountains to live ordinary lives, filled with the daily grind and raising a whimsical daughter. And so, the curtain fell on the entire play! "Alright, that's a wrap!" Director Zhang shouted! The entire crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. As the shoot had taken an extended period, this meant many could finally return home to their families. "Nobody with plans should leave yet! We have a wrap party tonight, and those who want to sing can do so later; I’ve arranged everything," Director Zhang said with a wave of his hand. If we rewind ten years, there would likely have been cheers all around. But now, most of the crew, consisting of people born in the '90s and 2000s, expressed that they had other plans and quickly slipped away. They weren't going to miss a meal but wouldn’t waste their precious leisure time either. Initially, Director Zhang found this incomprehensible—wasn’t a free meal attractive? However, he gradually came to accept this fact, realizing that times had changed. He discovered that the younger generation was less interested in socializing, especially in situations involving superficial interactions. In reality, while making an impression at the dinner table could indeed make an actor more memorable to Director Zhang, it wouldn't equate to landing a significant role. Acting skills remained the utmost priority! At that moment, his phone buzzed with a call. It was the marketing director from a yogurt company they had filmed an advertisement for days earlier. First, they congratulated the team on the conclusion of "The Heroic Couple" and then mentioned that their company had prepared celebrations. Finally, they came to the point. They wanted the film’s leads, Su Siyang and Ouyang Nana, to say a few words during the festivities, with a microphone bearing their company’s logo. Director Zhang didn’t immediately agree, as he wasn’t sure about Su Siyang and Ouyang Nana’s availability, intending to check first. The endorsement conditions offered by the yogurt company seemed quite appealing to him. Scanning the crowd, he couldn’t find Su Siyang but did spot his sister, Su Qi. The young girl was hard to miss despite her small stature, as she always caught people’s attention! Su Qi was in a helpless situation, caught by Ouyang Nana who was inquiring about her skincare routine. But Su Qi hadn’t used any skincare products. “I really haven’t used any skincare products!” Su Qi said truthfully, yet Ouyang Nana thought she was withholding information and pressed in closer. The perfume Ouyang Nana wore had a mature rose scent, growing stronger as she leaned in. “Come on, tell big sister,” Ouyang Nana said, her red lips parting slightly. She found Su Qi’s blank expression increasingly endearing and reached out to touch her baby-soft face, only to be interrupted by Director Zhang. “Xiao Ouyang, are you free tonight?” Eager for an answer, Director Zhang broke into the conversation. Ouyang Nana, a bit disappointed not to have touched Su Qi’s cheek, felt as if her evening plans had been rudely interrupted. Taking the opportunity provided by Director Zhang's question, Su Qi slipped away from Ouyang Nana. She couldn't handle any more questions about skincare products, especially since she was formerly more familiar with boyhood pursuits. Su Qi hadn’t walked more than a few steps before she spotted Su Siyang and Officer Zhang Ru engaged in a seemingly secretive conversation. To Su Qi, their relationship appeared to have progressed. Little did she know, she was the topic bonding them. Officer Zhang Ru's return to her home was partly for rest and partly due to an order from the director to assist Su Qi with obtaining her identification card. After all, if the word spread about Su Qi's previous illness, it could greatly affect her. Hence, the task had been entrusted to Officer Zhang Ru. Initially, everything would have been fine if Su Siyang took Su Qi back to Zhejiang the next day. Optimistically, by the day after, the identification process could have commenced! However, just moments before, Su Siyang had received a message from his manager Liu Qi, about a yogurt company event that night. It was advised not to decline because their offer was simply too generous. Officer Zhang Ru understood the situation, knowing that last-minute events sometimes occur in showbiz, yet didn't this imply they wouldn't return to Zhejiang the next day as planned? Just as the thought arose, Su Siyang received a call from his father. No, it was more of an ultimatum, instructing him to bring Su Qi home the next day without fail! Despite Su Siyang's lengthy explanations about having previous commitments, his father, Su Lujun, chose selective hearing and insisted on seeing Su Qi the next day no matter what! Su Siyang knew his father’s controlling nature well, but Officer Zhang Ru frowned as she listened. Even from two people away, she could clearly hear the agitated voice on the other end of the line, following the unreasonable words only reinforced her belief that this young girl must have endured a lot in that household. Truly, a poor little girl!