Tales of a Top-Tier Star and an Artsy Director

This is her domain. She is confident and skilled.

When the performance ends, applause rises. As usual, the host invites several guests to comment, and most of them offer lavish praise. When it's Gu Xiaobai's turn, she looks at Shen Qingmo directly and intently. She doesn't look at her as if she's a beautiful, vibrant woman, but more like she's examining a painting or a camera shot.

"You're very skilled," Gu Xiaobai begins. Her three words quiet the room a little. "Every emotional shift and every microexpression is carefully designed, perfectly precise, like a beautiful routine you've rehearsed countless times."

The smile on Shen Qingmo's face doesn't change, but her heart sinks a little. That doesn't sound like unqualified praise.

Sure enough, Gu Xiaobai continues: "But embarrassment is sometimes something uncontrolled, something outside the design. It might be a moment of blankness you don't have time to hide, or an unconscious, less-than-elegant little gesture. What you're portraying is 'perfect embarrassment,' not 'the embarrassment of a reunion.'" She pauses, then adds, "It's too perfect, and that makes it feel less real."

Theme: Even a top-tier star deserves to fall in love