Ark Simulator: Don't I Lack a Physical Body?

"Yay!" Nian jumped up excitedly, "Nine o'clock tomorrow! Don't be late!"

She rushed out the door in a flurry, nearly knocking over the tea and snacks that Aju had brought. Lady Wenyue shook her head helplessly. "This child, always so impetuous."

Bai Xue looked down at the script and suddenly stopped on a certain page—it was the scene where Silver Moon and the female lead met, and the lines were so cheesy that her fingers trembled.

"Su Rui..." she asked softly, "Are you really going to act in this?"

Su Rui leaned over and took a look, her ears immediately turning red. "... Change it."

He snatched the script, crossed out the ambiguous lines, and wrote brief notes next to them: [Nods] [Draws sword] [Leaves].

Bai Xue couldn't help but laugh out loud, "The director will scold you for acting like that."

"Whatever." Su Rui's tail wrapped around her wrist. "It's just action scenes."

His fingertips lingered on the storyboard of the fight scene, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. Bai Xue suddenly understood—he was genuinely interested in the action choreography, not just empty words from Nian.

"Then I'll visit you on set every day," she said with a smile, "And bring you lunch."

Su Rui's ears twitched with pleasure. "Mmm."

*

The next morning, Bai Xue stood at the entrance of Lungmen Film City carrying a lunchbox.

The film studio was larger than she had imagined, with an endless cluster of antique-style buildings. A poster for "Silver Moon Legend" was prominently displayed on the wall near the entrance—a silhouette of Su Rui's profile occupied most of the poster, with the caption "Mysterious Male Lead's First Role" below.

"Little Bai Xue!"

Wearing a director's vest and headphones on, he rushed over. "Quick! Su Rui's in the dressing room!"

She led Bai Xue through the maze-like corridors, drawing curious glances from the staff along the way. Several female production assistants were gathered at the entrance to the dressing room, pretending to organize documents but actually peeking inside.

"Make way! Make way!" Nian waved his hand to shoo people away, "Don't block the way!"

As she pushed open the door, Bai Xue's breath hitched.

Su Rui was sitting in front of the makeup mirror, his silver hair meticulously styled and flowing over his shoulders like water. The makeup artist was applying eyeliner to his eyes, making his already sharp features even more captivating. He was wearing a costume—a silver-white ancient robe with a wide-open collar, revealing his collarbone and a small patch of chest.

Hearing the door open, he turned around, his amber eyes appearing even deeper with his makeup. Bai Xue's lunchbox almost fell to the ground.

"How about it?" Nian asked smugly, "Isn't my judgment good?"

When Su Rui saw Bai Xue, his ears immediately perked up. He was about to get up when the makeup artist pressed him back into his chair. "Don't move! Your eyeliner isn't dry yet!"

"I... I came to deliver the lunchboxes..." Bai Xue stammered, her cheeks burning.

Nian's gaze swept back and forth between the two, then she suddenly clapped her hands. "Perfect! That's the expression!" She grabbed the screenwriter, "Look! The female lead should react like this when she first sees Silver Moon!"

The screenwriter, a young man wearing glasses, immediately scribbled down notes. "Blushing, stuttering, flustered..."

Su Rui's tail wagged restlessly behind the chair, clearly uncomfortable with the attention. The makeup artist finally let him go, announcing with satisfaction, "Done!"

Summoning her courage, Bai Xue stepped forward. "Are you hungry? I made rice balls..."

She opened the lunchbox, inside were carefully shaped rice balls, each decorated with a little fox pattern made of seaweed. Su Rui's ears twitched, and she reached out to pick one up.

"Wow!" Nian exclaimed exaggeratedly, "This is so cute!" She turned to the screenwriter and shouted, "Add a scene! The fox demon loves to eat the rice balls his wife makes!"

Su Rui took a bite of the rice ball, his tail wagging happily—an expression Bai Xue was familiar with, indicating that the food suited his taste.

"Teacher Su! It's your turn to go on stage!" the stage manager called from outside the door.

Nian, in a flurry of activity, pushed Su Rui out. "The first scene is a fight scene in the bamboo forest! It's very simple, just a few moves..."

Bai Xue followed behind, carrying the lunchbox, her heart still pounding. She had never seen Su Rui like this before—silver hair, ancient costume, exquisite features, like a fox spirit straight out of mythology.

The bamboo forest scene had already been set up on set, with the action director and stuntmen standing in front of the green screen. Su Rui took the prop sword, weighed it in her hand, and frowned slightly.

"Too light."

The choreographer quickly explained, "This is unopened; safety comes first..."

Su Rui didn't speak, but casually twirled her sword. A flash of silver light appeared, and the tip of the sword drew a perfect arc in the air, stirring up a gentle breeze. Everyone was stunned.

"Perfect!" Nian jumped up excitedly, "That's it! Power it on!"

The camera started running, Su Rui completed the movements according to the action director's instructions. His figure moved through the bamboo forest, his silver hair and the light of the sword complementing each other, as fluid as flowing water.

Standing behind the monitor, Bai Xue looked at Su Rui on the screen and suddenly had a strange feeling—the usually quiet and reserved boy was so dazzling in front of the camera.

"Cut! Perfect!" Nian shouted excitedly, "One take! Su Rui, you were born for this!"

Su Rui sheathed his sword and walked straight towards Bai Xue. His costume opened slightly as he moved, revealing more skin. Bai Xue hurriedly looked away, but heard him ask in a low voice:

"... How about it?"

"Very, very handsome..." Bai Xue admitted, blushing, "Like a real fox spirit."

Su Rui's ears turned red. He took the water glass from Bai Xue, and his tail quietly wrapped around her wrist under his oversized costume.

Nian's voice came from afar. "Ten-minute break! Then film the second scene!"

She jogged over, holding the newly revised script in her hand. "Look! I cut all those cheesy scenes! Now Silver Moon is a cold and aloof war god, only fighting, no romance!"

Su Rui glanced at it and nodded slightly. Nian's smile widened, "Then the kissing scene this afternoon will also be changed to an action scene?"

"A kissing scene?" Bai Xue looked up abruptly.

"It was originally there!" Nian quickly explained, "But Su Rui disagreed, so I..."

Delete page 859 of volume 15!

Su Rui's tail tightened warningly. "Delete it."

"Delete! Delete! Delete!" Nian surrendered, "Change everything to 'drawing a sword'!"

She leaned close to Bai Xue's ear and whispered, "But honestly, it's such a waste that he's not filming some romantic scenes with that look..."

Su Rui shot him a glare, and Nian immediately shut up. "I'm going to watch the replay! You two can talk!"

After she slipped away, the set fell silent for a moment. Looking at Su Rui's new look, Bai Xue couldn't resist reaching out to touch his silver hair. "So handsome..."

Su Rui lowered her head to let her touch her, her tail gently wrapping around her waist. "... Strange."

"No surprise," Bai Xue said with a smile, "It's especially beautiful."

She took her phone out of her bag. "Can I take a picture?"

Su Rui hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Bai Xue raised her phone, and in the lens, Su Rui was dressed in ancient costume, her silver hair flowing like a waterfall, completely different from her usual appearance.

"Smile?" she asked softly.

Su Rui's lips curled up slightly—not the fleeting curve she usually wore, but a genuine, subtle smile.

The shutter clicked, freezing the moment. Bai Xue looked at the photo, her heart racing. "I want to set this as my wallpaper..."

Su Rui's ears twitched, but she didn't object. His fingertips lightly brushed against her reflection on her phone screen, and he suddenly asked:

"... like?"

"Yes!" Bai Xue nodded vigorously, "I love it!"

Su Rui's tail wagged happily, tracing a small arc beneath her costume. From afar came Nian's shout, "Teacher Suri! Scene two, get ready!"

He gently squeezed Bai Xue's fingers. "Wait for me."

Bai Xue, holding a lunchbox, watched Su Rui walk towards the film set. Sunlight filtered through the bamboo grove, casting dappled shadows on him, making him seem like a fox spirit who had traveled through time.

Nian's voice came from the monitor. "Little Bai Xue! Want to be a temporary script supervisor? That way I can watch Su Rui film every day!"

Bai Xue blushed and didn't answer, but she had already secretly decided in her heart that she would make a heart-shaped bento box for tomorrow.

The afternoon heat at Lungmen Film City was unbearable. The air conditioner on set hummed loudly, but it couldn't dispel the sweltering heat inside the studio. Bai Xue sat on a folding chair in the corner, clutching a mineral water bottle in her hand, her eyes fixed on Su Rui in the center of the set.

He was wearing that silver-white ancient costume, with a dark blue belt around his waist that accentuated his long, slender figure. The makeup artist had just finished touching up his makeup, adding a touch of light red to the corners of his eyes, making his amber eyes even more alluring.

"Match 37, 5th time! Ready!"

The assistant director's shout brought Bai Xue back to her senses. This scene was the highlight of "The Silver Moon Legend"—the Farewell Kiss between the male lead, Silver Moon, and the female lead in the bamboo forest. The script stated that the female lead would sacrifice herself to save Silver Moon, offering him a passionate kiss before she died.

Bai Xue's nails dug unconsciously into her palms. Although she knew it was acting, the thought of Su Rui kissing someone else made her chest feel like it was stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't breathe properly.

"Action!"

On screen, Lin Yuqing, playing the female lead, slowly approached Su Rui. She wore a snow-white ancient costume, her black hair cascading down her back, and her makeup was exquisite, making her look like a porcelain doll. According to the script, she should have tremblingly cupped Su Rui's face in her hands, and then...

"Card!"

Suddenly, the director yelled "Cut!" and jumped up from behind the monitor. "No, no! This doesn't feel right at all!"

She strode between the two, gesturing wildly. "Teacher Lin, Silver Moon is a thousand-year-old fox spirit! You must act with both deep affection and reverence, as if you were handling a fragile treasure!"

Lin Yuqing nodded awkwardly, "Sorry, director, I'll try again."

On her second attempt, she was even more cautious, her fingertips barely touching Su Rui's chin—

"Cut!" Nian shouted again, "Su Rui! Don't hide!"

Su Rui's ears perked up alertly beneath his wig, and his tailbone was noticeably taut—although the costume concealed his real tail, Bai Xue knew he must be feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"Ten-minute break!" Nian announced helplessly. "Teacher Lin, let's talk about the play again."

The crowd dispersed, Su Rui walked straight to Bai Xue and sat down beside her. Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his breathing was slightly heavier than usual; he was clearly extremely nervous.

"Have some water." Bai Xue handed him a bottle of mineral water, her fingertips accidentally brushing against the back of his hand, which he immediately grasped in return.

Su Rui's palms were damp and cold, his knuckles trembling slightly. Bai Xue squeezed his fingers tenderly. "Are you in pain?"

"... Hmm." He rarely admitted his discomfort, his voice extremely low, "I don't want to... touch anyone else."

Bai Xue's heart skipped a beat. Looking at Su Rui's lowered eyelashes, she suddenly made a bold decision.

"Wait me a moment."

She got up and walked towards Director Nian, who was giving Lin Yuqing acting instructions, and gently tugged at her sleeve. "Director Nian, can we talk in private for a moment?"

A hint of doubt flashed in Nian's golden-red vertical pupils, but he still followed Bai Xue to the corner. "What's wrong, Little Bai Xue?"

"Um..." Bai Xue's cheeks flushed, and her voice trailed off, "The kissing scene... could we change the actor?"

Nian raised his eyebrows high. "Whose replacement?"

"Me," Bai Xue mustered her courage and looked up, "I'm here to film the kissing scene with Su Rui."

Nian's expression instantly became interesting. Her gaze swept back and forth between Bai Xue and Su Rui, and a sly smile slowly crept onto her lips, "Oh~ I understand."

She suddenly put her arm around Bai Xue's shoulder and lowered her voice. "What are the conditions?"

What, what conditions?

"There's no such thing as a free lunch, Little Bai Xue ~" Nian said with a grin, "I asked you to stand in for my kissing scenes, what will you give me in return?"

Bai Xue bit her lip. "I... I can be an extra for free."

"Not enough."

"Well..." Her gaze swept across the film set, then a sudden inspiration struck her, "I can persuade Su Rui to take a role in a movie!"

Nian's eyes lit up instantly. "Deal!"

She grabbed Bai Xue's wrist and excitedly walked towards the monitor. "Assistant Director! Change the script! Change this scene to feature Silver Moon and her childhood sweetheart, the junior sister!"

The entire set erupted in commotion. The assistant director adjusted his glasses. "Director, this..."

"Artistic adjustments!" Nian declared with a wave of his hand. "The emotional arc between Silver Moon and the junior sister will be even more compelling! Teacher Lin will now play the villainous senior sister!"

Lin Yuqing visibly relaxed and nodded quickly, "I'm fine."

The makeup artist pulled Bai Xue away to change her clothes, when Nian's voice came from behind. "Give her a pure and innocent look! Like, with flowing white clothes!"

Twenty minutes later, Bai Xue stood in front of the camera, her hands and feet numb with nervousness. She had changed into a plain white ancient costume, her hair half-up, and her makeup so light it was almost invisible. Nian had specially added a silver forehead chain to her, making her features appear even more delicate and beautiful.

Su Rui stood opposite her, the shock in his eyes still lingering. His prosthetic ear gleamed faintly in the sunlight, and the makeup on his lips was applied so palely by the makeup artist that he looked like he hadn't fully recovered from a serious injury.

"Don't be nervous~" Nian patted Bai Xue's shoulder, "Just treat it like we're being affectionate, except there are a few more cameras around."

These words made both Bai Xue and Su Rui blush.

Volume 15, Chapter 860: The Purpose of Bai Xue

"Match 37, Version 1! Ready!"

The crisp sound of the clapperboard rang out, and Bai Xue's heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest. According to the new script, the junior sister she played took a fatal blow to save Silver Moon, and confessed her feelings before dying.