Cheng Che was taken aback.
The talent [ Red Sleeves Add Fragrance ] has never been triggered since it was bound to the four women.
After all, the triggering conditions are very strict: the bound object must be nearby, and the appearance must meet the standard; it is difficult to meet just these two conditions at the same time.
The last time it was triggered was when it was bound to Su Qingyue, and it had been dormant ever since, so he almost forgot about this talent.
Upon triggering this moment, Cheng Che was overjoyed.
This talent provides a significant boost to him, essentially giving him some new talents for free.
For example, the buffs he currently possesses—[ Little Luck ] boosts his fortune, [ White Moonlight ] increases his attractiveness to the opposite sex, and [ Attractiveness Supreme ] prevents him from being targeted by gay men—are all real and tangible enhancements.
He immediately chose to bind.
[Binding successful. Obtained buffs: Aloof Immortal Venerable, Roleplay, Mermaid.]
Cheng Che was taken aback.
Putting these three names together doesn't quite create a sense of style.
Aloof Immortal Venerable, Roleplay, Mermaid.
He's a tennis player; he has absolutely nothing to do with any of those three words.
He walked to the vanity and sat down. The makeup artist came over to apply his base makeup, and he took the opportunity to carefully read the instructions.
[ Aloof Immortal Venerable: When providing instruction to members of the opposite sex, their favorability and learning efficiency are greatly increased; the higher the charm level, the stronger the effect.]
Cheng Che: "..."
It turns out it was just a tutorial buff.
His name sounded like he was cultivating immortality; he probably thought he could fly on a sword.
He glanced at Ning Qing beside him out of the corner of his eye; she was tilting her head back, having the makeup artist apply eyeliner, her expression very serious.
Does this little girl secretly want to be a teacher?
He briefly recalled certain scenes from Japan movies that weren't really suitable to think about in the dressing room, then quickly suppressed those thoughts.
[ Roleplay: When cosplaying, the character's demeanor automatically aligns with the role, resulting in extremely high accuracy.]
He understood it.
cosplay.
Ning Qing looks like a mature and sophisticated woman, usually wearing a suit dress and speaking slowly and deliberately, but she has the heart of an anime fan.
Cheng Che chuckled to himself, feeling as if he had learned a little more about Ning Qing.
[ Mermaid: Swimming ability improved; face and hair automatically lock into place upon entering the water.]
This is alright.
He had even considered the swimming pool when he was looking at villas before, thinking that he could gain a swimming skill for free, which wouldn't be a bad deal.
He was in a great mood and leaned back in his chair while the makeup artist continued working.
After the makeup was finished, the stylist brought over the clothes.
Cheng Che was wearing a dark gray LV suit today. The cut was more casual, not the stiff formal wear. He wore a black crew neck T-shirt underneath, slim-fit black trousers, and black Gucci loafers.
On her wrist was still that Rolex, a plain steel watch, not flashy but commanding.
Her hair was neatly styled, with a few stray hairs combed back to reveal her full brow bone.
Ning Qing stood to the side, wearing a dark green velvet dress, her hair half-up, and a pair of slender silver wire earrings dangling from her earlobes.
She saw Cheng Che walking over, tilted her head slightly, and a faint smile curved her lips.
"Let's go," she said.
The press conference for the release date announcement of " The Realm and Old Friends " was held in the multi-functional hall on the first floor of Tengda Video Magic City.
The hall is quite large, and can seat about three hundred people.
The front row was for the media, with a row of cameras and microphones set up. Behind them was the area for guests and fans, and further back were the live broadcast positions, with three cameras pointing at the stage from different angles.
The trailer for " The Realm and Old Friends " was playing on a loop on the big screen.
Against a backdrop of landscapes in the style of ink wash painting, several shots of Shen Che, from his time as a hostage prince to his rise to power, flash by in turn.
The host first went on stage to warm up the atmosphere, saying a few opening remarks, and then invited Director Zhou and President Fang up. The two chatted for a few minutes about the project's initial intentions and production process, while the reporters in the audience took notes, occasionally snapping a couple of photos.
"Next, let's welcome the lead actors of ' The Realm and Old Friends ', Cheng Che and Ning Qing!"
When Cheng Che and Ning Qing walked out from behind the curtain, the volume in the hall noticeably increased.
Reporters in the front row raised their cameras, while fans in the back held up light boards.
The two walked to the sofa in the center of the stage and sat down.
Cheng Che sat on the left, Ning Qing sat on the right, with a cushion separating them.
But the moment Cheng Che sat down, the effects of being the Absolute Center Position and the Stars Surrounding the Moon took hold. All eyes, including those of the photographers who were adjusting their focus, unconsciously turned toward him.
The host smiled and said, "First, please say hello to our audience."
Cheng Che said into the microphone, "Hello everyone, I'm Cheng Che," and Ning Qing added, "I'm Ning Qing."
The host flipped through the cue cards and began the first segment:
"Everyone has seen the trailer for ' The Realm and Old Friends,' and we know that the character Shen Che goes through three stages: hostage, strategist, and ruler. Cheng Che, which stage did you enjoy playing the most?"
Cheng Che thought for a moment:
"After he took power, because he finally didn't have to pretend anymore. In the early days, he would think twice before saying anything, but later he would say whatever he wanted. That process of going from holding back to letting go was very smooth to act."
The host turned to Ning Qing:
"What about Ning Qing? The female lead you play has a very complicated relationship with Shen Che; she's an ally, an adversary, and there's also a romantic subplot. Which scene did you find the most difficult to act?"
Ning Qing took the microphone, her tone neither hurried nor slow:
"The scene where she speaks up for him in court. My character was conflicted in that scene; on one hand, she wanted to help him, but on the other hand, she didn't want the court officials to realize she was helping him. It was a difficult balance to strike, and we filmed it several times."
The host nodded, then changed the subject:
"Now let's move on to the interactive segment. The first game is called 'Court Debate.' We'll give each of you a question, and you'll have to persuade the other person using your own role. Who wants to go first?"
Cheng Che raised his hand slightly. "I'll go first."
The host drew a question card, glanced at it, and smiled, " Cheng Che's question is: Persuade Ning Qing's character to hand over military power to you."
The audience burst into laughter.
Cheng Che glanced at Ning Qing, Ning Qing sat up straight, her expression changing from gentle to a cold "you'll see" kind of indifference.
Cheng Che spoke, his voice a little deeper, his pace slower than usual, and the end of his words carrying a subtle sense of pressure:
"I'm not at ease with you having military power. It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust the people around you. Give me the military power, and I'll keep an eye on them for you. You can continue being a clean slate, and I'll do the dirty work."
Ning Qing's expression remained unchanged, but her fingers gently tightened on her knee.
She took the microphone, her tone indifferent:
"You're right, there are indeed people around me you don't trust. But that's not a reason for me to hand over military power to you. If you keep an eye on them for me, who will keep an eye on you?"
Someone in the audience whispered a "wow".
Cheng Che chuckled, didn't argue further, and leaned back on the sofa. "Fine, you win this round."
The host then smoothly transitioned the discussion. "Alright, the court debate has come to an end. Next up is a test of teamwork. We've prepared five questions; both of you write down your answers simultaneously and see how many you can match."
The staff handed over two whiteboards and two pens. Cheng Che and Ning Qing each took one and wrote with their backs to each other.
First question: What is Shen Che's favorite food?
Cheng Che wrote one character.
Ning Qing wrote two characters. When she turned the whiteboard over, Cheng Che's whiteboard had "noodles" written on it, while Ning Qing's whiteboard had "soup noodles" written on it.
The host laughed, "The meaning is about right, so it counts as correct."
Second question: What is the thing the female lead dislikes most about Shen Che?
Cheng Che wrote about "pretending," Ning Qing wrote about "carrying everything on her own."
The host glanced at Director Zhou, Director Zhou nodded from below the stage. "That's not quite right, but it's an interesting answer because the female lead genuinely dislikes that about him."
Cheng Che glanced at Ning Qing, Ning Qing didn't look at him, but the tips of her ears turned slightly red.
Of the five questions, I answered three correctly.
The host said, "Good teamwork," and someone in the fan section shouted, "One more!"
During the Q&A session at the press conference, reporters in the front row began to raise their hands.
The questions ranged from "What are the most similar aspects between Shen Che and Cheng Che Himself?" to "What challenges did Ning Qing face in her first period drama role?"—all fairly standard.
Cheng Che and Ning Qing answered each question, neither humble nor arrogant, occasionally adding a comment to each other.
The last question came from a young female reporter who stood up a little nervously, "I want to ask Cheng Che, you still have the US Open coming up, how do you balance filming and playing tennis?"
Cheng Che took the microphone, thought for a second, and said, "When filming, I don't want to play basketball; when playing basketball, I don't want to film. If I can achieve that, I can find a balance."
There was a moment of silence in the audience, followed by applause that erupted simultaneously from several directions.
The host glanced at the program and raised his voice. "Alright, next, let's reveal the release date of ' The Realm and Old Friends'— "
The images on the large screen changed, the ink-wash background faded out, and a line of text appeared.
"On October 15th, Tengda Video will exclusively broadcast the content online."
Another round of applause and camera shutter clicks erupted from the audience.
Cheng Che and Ning Qing stood up and walked to the center of the stage with Director Zhou and President Fang to take a group photo in front of the camera.
The flashbulbs went off everywhere.
Cheng Che stood in the center, Ning Qing to his right, and Director Zhou and President Fang on either side.
With the click of the shutter, he slightly tilted his head and glanced in Ning Qing's direction. Ning Qing also happened to turn her head at the same time.
Their eyes met briefly, then they both turned back to look at the camera.
No one in the audience noticed this detail, but the cameras captured it.