Chapter 723: Jiaojiao 3

Tan You gave a faint smile. "If your dad called me Great-Grandma, he’d be the one getting the better end of the deal. You... can just call me Teacher."

"Okay, Teacher," Chen Jiao’s face also broke into a smile. "Let’s pack up and go back..."

Watching Chen Jiao’s cheerful figure retreat, the Beauty System covered its eyes with its little paws. Tan You glanced at it. "What are you doing?"

The Beauty System sighed. "I just have a feeling this little girl is in for a rough time. Calling the Host ’Teacher’ and thinking she can pass your tests? It’s not going to be that easy."

Tan You said, "Didn’t I say so? If you’re going to do something, you have to be the best at it. She’s already started to show her brilliance; now she just needs to be properly polished."

"It’s better for her to learn properly with me than to stumble around on her own and end up covered in scars."

The Beauty System’s words proved to be a prophecy. After returning to the hotel and washing up, before Chen Jiao could even get excited, she was stunned by the acting improvement course Tan You dropped on her.

"Teacher, is my acting really that bad? I even won a newcomer award last year." Chen Jiao was a little unconvinced. The director she was currently working with was considered quite skilled in the industry.

And she won Best Newcomer last year!

Tan You flicked her fingers. "With your acting skills, I’d give you a 60 out of 100 at most. Do you need me to spell out how you got that ’Best Newcomer’ award?"

Chen Jiao was silenced. "How do you know about that?"

Tan You chuckled softly. "There’s a lot more that I know. Now, let’s go over your scenes for tomorrow. If you get another NG, it’s my reputation on the line."

Tan You wasn’t a mean person, and Chen Jiao wasn’t a hopeless case. After this special training session in the room for the next day’s scenes, Tan You closed the script. "Alright, get a good rest tonight. Be up at six a.m. sharp tomorrow. It’s time we start learning what you need to learn."

Chen Jiao’s posture stiffened slightly. "Learn what?"

Tan You glanced at her. "Your posture isn’t very good. You slouch a little. I suggest you learn to dance. It’s not a bad thing to have an extra skill."

The sweet and naive Chen Jiao immediately sat up straight. "You’re really going to teach me to dance? I want to be a ’little fairy’ too!"

Tan You’s expression was a little strange. "I was originally just planning to teach you the basics. If you really want to learn, you can’t give up halfway."

Chen Jiao stepped right into the trap Tan You had set, yet she was still vowing earnestly, "Teacher, don’t worry! I’ll definitely study hard and I’ll never give up!"

Tan You smiled. "Good. Since you have the drive, I’ll be sure to teach you without holding anything back."

’No wonder so many men like the sweet and naive type; even she found herself fond of someone like Chen Jiao.’ Tan You rarely warmed up to someone so quickly, but Chen Jiao... she really was very likable.

Having gotten Tan You’s promise, Chen Jiao went to sleep happily, a smile still on her face even in her dreams.

Tan You sat there on the bay window, watching Chen Jiao’s sleeping face, her gaze suddenly filled with pity. ’How did this pure, innocent girl end up so broken and covered in scars?’

Scandalous photos flying everywhere, a flash marriage and a flash divorce, her career in shambles, no family, no friends... so young, yet already shrouded in twilight...

’For a girl with no background to make it in the entertainment industry... just thinking about it is incredibly difficult.’ No wonder the client, even in a vegetative state, was still so concerned about her.

At six o’clock, Chen Jiao was woken up on time by Tan You. At first, she was still a bit dazed. But as soon as she remembered what happened the night before, she was wide awake. She rubbed her eyes, tilted her head, and beamed at Tan You like a flower in bloom. "Teacher, good morning!"

Seeing such a sweet smile first thing in the morning naturally put Tan You in an excellent mood. "Good morning. Time to get up and learn to dance. Go wash your face. We’ll learn some basics today."

Chen Jiao pouted. "But I’ve studied dance at the company for the past few years."

Tan You replied, "Fine. Let’s see your fundamentals then. Follow me."

Chen Jiao was full of confidence. "Just watch, Teacher. My dance instructors all said I’m very flexible."

Initially, with the shoulder stretches, leg presses, and splits, Chen Jiao’s form was indeed perfect. Watching her movements, Tan You couldn’t help but become interested. And so, she began to gradually increase the difficulty.

It wasn’t until Tan You started demonstrating moves like tucked-leg turns that Chen Jiao couldn’t keep up. Of course, this also gave Tan You a basic understanding of Chen Jiao’s skill level.

Just as Chen Jiao had said, her body was indeed very flexible. This was great; the basics of classical dance were very demanding. Chen Jiao had good natural talent. If she was willing to put in the hard work, her posture could definitely be trained.

Chen Jiao was a little dejected. "Teacher, am I too clumsy?"

"Not at all. You have good talent," Tan You was almost always encouraging and rarely harsh with her words. Especially when faced with a girl as likable as Chen Jiao, her tone became even gentler.

"That’s enough for today. Starting tomorrow, we’ll officially begin our classical dance studies." Tan You smiled. "You haven’t forgotten last night’s acting lesson, have you?"

"I’ll go practice some more!" Chen Jiao immediately scrambled to her feet. "Teacher, have you ever been a director? I feel like when you teach me, you’re less like an acting coach and more like a director."

Tan You raised an eyebrow. "I’ve never been a director, but I have followed along on shoots. I used to be a screenwriter."

"A screenwriter?" Chen Jiao, who had been about to dash to the bathroom, made an emergency U-turn and lunged in front of Tan You. "A screenwriter? Teacher, can you write a script for me? I’ll definitely act my heart out!"

Tan You laughed, poking Chen Jiao’s forehead and pushing her back a bit. "My scripts have very high standards. With that 60-out-of-100 acting of yours, you’d better keep working hard."

"I’ll definitely work hard! Teacher, when can I act in one of your screenplays?" Chen Jiao stared at Tan You with pleading eyes. Who said sweet and naive girls were actually stupid? You had to seize opportunities for yourself, and she wasn’t the least bit shy about asking her teacher.

"At least an 80," Tan You set a benchmark for her. To keep the girl motivated, Tan You didn’t mind dangling a carrot. "I can let you read a script. An award-winning one."

Chen Jiao’s eyes grew even brighter. "I want to see it now."

"Not now," Tan You sniffed. "If you read it now, you won’t be able to focus on your scenes today. You can read it tonight when we get back. Also, hurry up and go wash off. You’re covered in sweat; aren’t you grossed out?"

"Hehe, it’s my own sweat, so I don’t mind." Chen Jiao gave a silly, sweet laugh, then lifted her arm to sniff it and dashed for the bathroom with a grimace. Seen from behind, she seemed much more lively now, not like the miserable person she was before.

The impromptu special training Tan You had given her the previous night had clearly paid off. During the day on set, Chen Jiao nailed her scenes mostly in one take. Even when there was an NG, it was because of a problem with her scene partner.

Because of this, the cast and crew members who originally had a problem with Chen Jiao slowly began to change their attitude toward her.

When lunch boxes were handed out at noon, Chen Jiao even received an extra chicken drumstick. Staring at the big drumstick on top of her meal, she couldn’t help but smile. And as she smiled, tears began to fall.