《Recognized by My Ex After Being Reborn》


 Chapter 1 - Chapter 1: 001 Worship oneself

    Chapter 1: 001 Worship oneself


    National Park Cemetery, in front of a brand-new tombstone, a young girl in her early twenties stood. Wrapped in a water-blue long dress, her slender frame was accentuated, as her waist-length curly hair fluttered in the breeze, drifting into the air. Oddly, her face didn¡¯t look emaciated; in fact, it had a bit of baby fat. If it were a bit rosier, she would certainly look very endearing and likable.


    Shi Lan placed the flowers she held in front of a stone monument, slightly bending over¡ªin fact, the person she was paying respects to today was herself!


    Half a month ago, the Asian-level heiress, Shi Lan, was involved in a car accident in Thailand, making headlines far and wide. On the night of the accident, Shi Lan¡¯s Bugatti collided with a heavy-duty bus, resulting in a fatal crash. Not even a complete body could be recovered, and the news of this tragedy lingered in the headlines for several days.


    What no one knew was, at the moment of the car accident, Shi Lan¡¯s soul transmigrated into a young girl¡¯s body, reviving from the dead. Only that this girl had been too harsh on herself attempting suicide, which meant Shi Lan had to recuperate in the hospital for a long while, before she could drag her weakened body to the cemetery to pay homage to herself.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be reborn, at least pick a normal person. What¡¯s with becoming a debt ghost?¡± Shi Lan lamented in front of her own portrait.


    In her past life, not only had she been born into a prominent family, but at a young age, she founded one of the most top-tier entertainment companies, controlling eighty percent of the Shi Family¡¯s assets, and was also a globally famous hand model.


    Setting aside her capricious, harsh nature, her estrangement from her relatives, and her iron-fisted approach to business, she still qualified as an extremely successful businesswoman.


    The original owner of this body, although young, not only had a brother complex but also behaved like a quintessential sycophant, a mediocre actress destined only for maid roles, yet she flirted with a top-tier celebrity idol. To make matters worse, the idol already had a public partner, recognized and adored by the nation, and her flirty chats with him were exposed, leading to her ¡°affectionate¡± title of ¡°Little Green Tea.¡±


    Shi Lan squatted for a while, ready to leave the cemetery, when a tall figure approached from not far away.


    He was dressed in a gray-black suit, his figure tall and lean. One hand was tucked casually in his pocket, exuding an aura of unapproachability. Beneath his glasses hid a fair and handsome face, with a pair of narrow eyes that seemed capable of reaping souls. His black hair was impeccably groomed back, leaving only a few stray strands to dance in the wind.


    This man¡ªwas none other than Shi Lan¡¯s husband from her previous life, the famously refined scoundrel Yan Shixiu!


    They had been married for three years but were always at odds, except for affairs in bed, where they hardly had any normal communication.


    Yan Shixiu appeared extremely abstinent and meticulous in everything, but in bed, his control was overwhelming.


    Shocked, Shi Lan hurried away. As she brushed past Yan Shixiu, she caught sight of the woman following him and overheard her saying, ¡°Brother, that woman is already dead. Isn¡¯t it time you considered accepting my good friend? You have no idea just how happy mom and dad were that she died without a complete corpse.¡±


    As Shi Lan left, she heard this bit of conversation, spoken by her younger sister-in-law from before, with whom she never got along.


    Turning to look at her tombstone, she thought, the person had just been buried, yet the Yan Family seemed delighted to speak ill of the deceased at their grave. Were they as heartless as she was?


    Shi Lan was furious!


    So angry she could die!


    But she hadn¡¯t forgotten that she was now a little girl, and a broke one at that.


    Since she was reborn, the matters of the Shi Family and the Yan Family were none of her concern!


    Once she returned to her King¡¯s Rank, she would come back and torment this sibling pair.


    However, she was unaware that as she rushed down the steps, Yan Shixiu turned around and coldly eyed his sister, uttering just one sentence, ¡°You better not let me find out that your sister-in-law¡¯s death has anything to do with you, or your tombstone will be standing next to hers by tomorrow. And get out¡ªthis is not your place to pay respects.¡±


    The stylishly dressed woman was scared away by her own brother¡¯s look, ¡°I¡¯m leaving, okay? Then you should head back early. We have an appointment today to discuss with the Shi Family about the inheritance division.¡±


    Yan Shixiu watched her leave before finally stopping in front of Shi Lan¡¯s tombstone.


    The sharp and contentious woman of the past was no more, and Yan Shixiu touched his left ring finger where his wedding ring remained, with no intention of removing it. However, the bunch of flowers at the tombstone¡¯s base was far too distinctive, piercing his eyes instantly.


    Because those were Shi Lan¡¯s favorite flowers, the Hellebore¡ª the world¡¯s unique black roses that came from Turkey. Almost no one knew of Shi Lan¡¯s fondness for black roses, and in the entire Yancheng, only one shop sold them.


    Immediately, Yan Shixiu¡¯s thoughts flew to the girl who had just left¡­

 Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: 002 No rounding down

    Chapter 2: 002 No rounding down


    Having left the cemetery, Shi Lan was preparing to sneak back to the hospital but received a call from her broker on the way, ¡°Miss An Lan, you didn¡¯t go looking for Gu Chengyu again, did you? Do you think you¡¯re not hated enough already?¡±


    Upon hearing the words ¡®Miss An Lan,¡¯ Shi Lan felt very unfamiliar and took a few seconds to react, then she remembered that the name of the body she now inhabited was An Lan.


    Twenty-one years old, a film academy student, and a university classmate of Gu Chengyu.


    An Lan had fallen in love with Gu Chengyu at first sight and pursued him boldly, but alas, Gu Chengyu was handsome and talented, which meant he quickly became famous for acting in TV dramas.


    An Lan had done many foolish things for Gu Chengyu, willingly being a sycophant, and Gu Chengyu was a thorough scumbag, adhering to the three ¡®no¡¯s principle of not taking initiative, not rejecting, and not taking responsibility, taking An Lan¡¯s devotion for granted as if she were a lowly spare tire.


    The reason An Lan attempted suicide was that her chat records with Gu Chengyu had been exposed.


    As such an undignified sycophant, and for ruining the couple image of Gu Chengyu with a top actress, she became the target of public anger, continuously bullied online. Even though she attempted suicide and was lying in the hospital, she was cursed to die sooner.


    And the most frightening part about this kid An Lan wasn¡¯t just her being a sycophant; she also had a younger brother.


    Causing trouble, gambling, adept at online loans, he racked up millions in debt at the ripe age of eighteen.


    It was under these circumstances that An Lan signed a contract with Tianwang Media, binding herself for ten long years!


    In other words, she had to do whatever the company asked of her, or else she had two options: to sell herself to pay the exorbitant breach of contract fee or go to jail. But An Lan somehow managed to avoid being sent to anyone¡¯s bed until now, preferring to exhaust herself and endure ostracization, probably hoping to save herself for Gu Chengyu.


    Reflecting on this, Shi Lan sighed and replied to the broker, ¡°No, I just went out for some fresh air, um, Brother Ze, do you have time? I want to meet you.¡±


    ¡°That works for me. I was about to arrange your work anyway. Since you¡¯re not dead, you have to continue making money for the company!¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Actually, An Lan wasn¡¯t completely worthless. When she wasn¡¯t showing her sycophantic nature, her looks were quite pleasing to the average person, and she could quickly gain fans with some minor roles in TV dramas.


    Some big shots in the industry had even approached the agency to recruit her personally, liking her round face that seemed promising. Otherwise, the company wouldn¡¯t have advanced her three million and locked her in for ten years.


    But she had spoiled everything with her antics, resulting in the agency freezing her out for the better part of a year.


    ¡­


    Before long, the broker Tang Ze arrived at the hospital in a flurry. Seeing Shi Lan, he glared at her with a ¡®you¡¯re letting me down¡¯ look and said, ¡°If you dare to¡­¡±


    ¡°Bro¡­ I¡¯ve decided not to be a sycophant anymore. I want to focus on my career!¡±


    Tang Ze looked at her and sneered, ¡°You think I¡¯m going to believe that?¡±


    Shi Lan took out her phone, deleted Gu Chengyu¡¯s WeChat in front of Tang Ze, and handed the phone over to him, ¡°You manage my phone.¡±


    After all, if she could dismiss Yan Shixiu so easily, what was Gu Chengyu in comparison?


    Tang Ze looked at the phone in his hand, his expression a bit complicated, ¡°Are you¡­ serious?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can test my resolve.¡±


    Tang Ze found it a bit funny and wondered if Shi Lan¡¯s brain had been affected by some trauma. Just then, Gu Chengyu¡¯s call came through. Both of them looked at the caller ID on the phone, exchanging glances.


    However, Shi Lan made a quick decision, took back the phone, pressed the answer key, and put it on speaker.


    ¡°An Lan, don¡¯t bother me anymore in the future. I¡¯m with Beini now, and we¡¯re about to co-star in a big production. You¡­ stop deluding yourself.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°Fine, then can you please return the Rolex I gave you last month? And the diamond brooch from the month before that, plus all those other luxury items I¡¯ve given you before? I don¡¯t necessarily need the items back; you can just give me the cash equivalent. I¡¯ve roughly calculated it: about 2.06 million¡­ don¡¯t worry about the change, thank you!¡±

 Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: 003 The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

    Chapter 3: 003 The more I think about it, the angrier I get.


    Shi Lan grew angrier the more she thought about it as she spoke.


    Initially, this little girl had sold herself for a mere three million and then devoted all the money she earned to her brother and Gu Chengyu, casually gifting hundreds of thousands, even millions. What made it worse was the scumbag accepting the gifts while despising her?


    Even a dog would have performed tricks for her with that kind of money.


    There was sudden silence on the other end of the phone. After a moment, Shi Lan heard the other party say, ¡°If you really insist, I can pay you back¡­¡±


    What do they mean? Implying she¡¯s petty for wanting back what she gifted?


    ¡°I do want it back! Besides, several of the gifts I gave are limited editions. I still have purchase records, and you¡¯ve worn them in public. If I were to release all the receipts, I don¡¯t know what your fans would think of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Send over the account details, and An Lan, you are truly disgusting!¡±


    As long as the money is returned, all is well.


    Shi Lan never blinked an eye when giving gifts in the past, no matter how expensive, but it depends on the person and the trash involved.


    Who is she kidding here?


    Tang Ze was standing in front of Shi Lan, utterly shocked by her maneuvers, and even began to doubt that this person was really An Lan. Gu Chengyu was so important in An Lan¡¯s heart that she would die for him, but now¡­?


    ¡°Are you¡­ possessed by a ghost?¡±


    Shi Lan had just put down her phone and was drinking water when she heard Tang Ze¡¯s question, causing her to suddenly cough violently.


    Really now¡­


    ¡°You might as well think so. From now on, I won¡¯t be indulging Gu Chengyu anymore. Aren¡¯t you here to arrange work for me?¡± Shi Lan said calmly, her demeanor clashing with her slightly baby-faced appearance.


    Tang Ze was about to reply when a call came from the company.


    Tang Ze stepped out to take it, returning with a peculiar look directed at Shi Lan: ¡°The company has lined up a new movie for you, a big production by Huahai Entertainment, ¡®Smoke Beauty¡¯, and you are playing the second lead female.¡±


    ¡°Huahai Entertainment?¡±


    Shi Lan was startled, as she was the founder of this entertainment company. Although it had been only a few years, her iron-fisted leadership and sharp vision, backed by robust capital, quickly carved out a significant presence in the industry. It was now a top-level company. She hadn¡¯t expected that she¡¯d now have to rely on her own company to earn her living.


    And Huahai Entertainment was probably in the hands of Yan Shixiu by now, right?


    ¡°That¡¯s what the company said. I don¡¯t know why it¡¯s so sudden. The script has already been sent to me, and they want me to take you to the company to sign the contract tomorrow. This should be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but¡­ the leads of ¡®Smoke Beauty¡¯ are Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini.¡±


    ¡°Who did you say?¡± Shi Lan paused for a moment.


    ¡°Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini!¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Fine, this really sounds like something she would have done. On one side, An Lan was desperate over the disruption of the National Couple, and on the other, they are getting her to join the team and torment the National Couple.


    Shi Lan loved creating buzz. Now, she had successfully landed herself in trouble.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to take it¡­¡±


    ¡°Can I even refuse?¡± Shi Lan asked, looking up.


    ¡°No! I was afraid your common bootlicking tendency¡­ might rekindle just minutes after dying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then let¡¯s accept it. It¡¯s perfect for validating the accusations of sabotaging the National Couple. Also, Ze, keep an eye on that jerk to pay back the money. If I don¡¯t receive a bank notification each day, send him daily reminders and watch for my brother¡¯s return to the country¡­¡±


    As Tang Ze listened to Shi Lan, he couldn¡¯t help but think this was undoubtedly no less than a possession.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will watch over that. As for your brother, he was terribly frightened by your suicide. He probably won¡¯t bother you for quite some time.¡±


    Ha, if he dares to show up, Shi Lan is sure to cripple him, ready for a complete overhaul.


    Now, Shi Lan¡¯s goals were clear: first, to clear her name of being a green tea bitch, then to break away from this superstar management company, and, while she¡¯s at it, send her brother ¡°west.¡± Certainly, she had no intention of becoming the second Shi Lan. This time, she wanted to redo her journey through life.


    ¡­


    At the Shi family estate, the Shi family members were currently discussing the division of Shi Lan¡¯s inheritance with Yan Shixiu¡­

 Chapter 4 - Chapter 4: 004 Bringing the wolf into the house

    Chapter 4: 004 Bringing the wolf into the house


    In the solemn and majestic Spanish Court-style hall, Yan Shixiu, along with the seniors from the Shi family, each occupied a sofa on opposite sides. Behind them, their legal teams were ready for the confrontation.


    ¡°I am Qiao Junwei, the trustee of Miss Shi¡¯s assets. Regarding Miss Shi¡¯s inheritance¡­¡±


    ¡°The Shi family¡¯s assets never belonged to Shi Lan in the first place, so naturally, there is no need to divide them with outsiders, right?¡± Yan Shixiu¡¯s mother-in-law from across the sofa spoke coldly, ¡°When Shi Lan married him, his Yan family was nothing but a small household. Now that Shi Lan is gone, shouldn¡¯t he be leaving without a single penny?¡±


    ¡°Mrs. Shi, that¡¯s not how it works,¡± Qiao Junwei said, ¡°regardless, a spouse is the primary beneficiary.¡±


    At this moment, Yan Shixiu seemed to run out of patience, turning his head to take out the partition agreement from his lawyer¡¯s hand and speaking ominously, ¡°I have no interest in anything related to the Shi family, but I will take over all the companies established by Shi Lan. According to the law, I have fifty percent inheritance rights, and this part accounts for forty percent of her entire estate. I will generously give ten percent to Mrs. Shi, thanking her for her absence at her daughter¡¯s funeral, which allowed her to die with her eyes wide open, and also, I¡¯d like to end today¡¯s negotiation here.¡±


    Mrs. Shi opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but she also understood just how formidable Yan Shixiu was.


    Yan Shixiu was a wolf.


    Civilized in appearance, but with a heart and inner organs that exuded darkness.


    For him to willingly give up ten percent was already a great concession on her part. If the talks dragged on, he could very well take Shi Lan¡¯s entire inheritance for himself. Should he have that ambition, Mrs. Shi knew she was no match for him.


    With no objections from either side, the matter was settled dust. However, as Yan Shixiu stood up to leave, Mrs. Shi suddenly called out to him, ¡°You never had any affection for Shi Lan. The worst mistake she ever made was inviting a wolf into the house.¡±


    ¡°Then Shi Lan truly was miserable, having a mother devoid of humanity and a bloodsucking, scheming husband.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Mrs. Shi¡¯s face turned ashen.


    With a scoff, Yan Shixiu left the Shi family estate forever, taking all of his late wife¡¯s belongings with him.


    ¡°Director Yan, the matter of that little girl has been properly arranged,¡± his assistant whispered to Yan Shixiu on the way back, ¡°But why?¡±


    Given An Lan¡¯s status, the chance to star in a Huahai production was something she could dream of in her next life. Furthermore, the role of second female lead in ¡°Smoke Beauty¡± had already been cast. However, upon Yan Shixiu¡¯s command, An Lan was signed on and generously offered the role of second female lead.


    Yan Shixiu rubbed his temples, suddenly thinking of that girl at the cemetery.


    Flowers don¡¯t mean much, Yan Shixiu knew, although it was Shi Lan¡¯s secret, that didn¡¯t mean she hadn¡¯t told anyone else. What really made his heart race was the girl¡¯s entry in the visitor log of the cemetery; that log was now in his hands, and so was something else¡ªShi Lan¡¯s handwriting.


    Why could two seemingly unrelated people have identical handwriting?


    Furthermore, he had asked his assistant to check: the day Shi Lan had her accident, An Lan was also in the hospital being resuscitated. Shi Lan died, An Lan came back to life.


    As a materialist and atheist, Yan Shixiu was loath to believe such absurd things, but the flowers and the handwriting¡­ remained unexplained.


    The car raced through the night, and at that moment, Yan Shixiu took out a picture frame that hung in the Shi family estate from among Shi Lan¡¯s belongings and instructed his assistant, ¡°Enlarge this photo and hang it in my bedroom.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The assistant couldn¡¯t understand it. When they were both alive, the two were constantly at odds, often wounding each other with harsh words. Now that she was gone, Yan Shixiu appeared unable to let go, even keeping his wedding ring on his finger.


    ¡°Director Yan, wouldn¡¯t you try¡­ to let go?¡±

 Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: 005 Abnormal Type

    Chapter 5: 005 Abnormal Type


    The next day, Shi Lan was awakened by the doctor making his rounds. However, Miss Shi had endured the hospital environment for an extended period, which had pushed her to her limit. At this moment, she couldn¡¯t wait to be discharged.


    Tang Ze arrived quite early to complete the discharge procedures for Shi Lan and helped her leave the hospital undetected. Once in the car, he said to her, ¡°We are going directly to Huahai to sign the contract.¡±


    ¡°Huahai¡­ Who is the current owner?¡± Shi Lan asked tentatively.


    ¡°See for yourself.¡± Tang Ze tossed his phone to her.


    Shi Lan glanced at the news headline and nearly exploded.


    Yan Shixiu took over all of Shi Lan¡¯s self-founded industries, avoiding any involvement with the Shi Family¡¯s companies. They made a clear distinction, but¡­ Shi Lan almost swore in her heart. This damned man must have accumulated the fortune of eight lifetimes ¡ª a man rises in ranks, gains wealth, and his wife dies; he had it all.


    ¡°What¡­ is that expression for? How does this relate to you?¡± Tang Ze, seeing Shi Lan poking at the phone screen, could not understand.


    ¡°Forget it, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Shi Lan sighed, only thinking to herself, ¡°Stinky brother, your assets are being divided up, can you really be happy about this?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re heading to Huahai later, and you might run into President Yan. So, put on some makeup to look a bit more lively.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t sure about looking lively, but she knew she was possibly going to be infuriated to death.


    ¡­


    Yan Shixiu taking over Huahai was something that the insiders already knew. High-level documents had been sent to Yan Shixiu a few days ago, and now that it was in the news, everything was confirmed.


    The vice president of Huahai received a call from Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant early in the morning, informing him that Yan Shixiu would be inspecting the company today, and the inauguration press conference would be held in half a month.


    The staff within Huahai were trembling with fear because Yan Shixiu and Shi Lan had completely different styles of management. According to what they knew, although Yan Shixiu appeared gentle on the surface, his sinister nature surpassed Shi Lan¡¯s.


    If Shi Lan were to stab someone, she¡¯d make it quick and clean, whereas Yan Shixiu would bleed you slowly, taking a psychopathic delight in watching your dying moments.


    The couple had never interfered in each other¡¯s industries and operations before, although they did not get along. Therefore, there had thankfully never been any disputes over financial interests in the past.


    Now that Yan Shixiu was taking over Huahai, everyone at Huahai was panicked, unsure of what schemes King Yan had in mind.


    Surprisingly, Yan Shixiu was also personally attending the contract signing meeting for the female lead of ¡°Smoke Beauty.¡±


    Given the scale of the production, it was not unusual for Yan Shixiu to oversee the matter personally. But the vice president knew the reason because he had received a message from Yan Shixiu¡¯s side yesterday, promoting An Lan to replace the previous actress.


    Could it be that President Yan, having just lost his wife, had taken a liking to a budding starlet?


    ¡­


    Half an hour later, Tang Ze brought Shi Lan to the Huahai headquarters. Shi Lan also touched up her makeup before getting out of the car. This made Tang Ze more suspicious, feeling that An Lan had completely changed since waking up from her suicide attempt.


    An Lan used to be very girlish, fitting her young age, so her makeup was always exquisite, mainly featuring a sweet style.


    At this moment, although Shi Lan¡¯s makeup was simple and clean, it looked more sophisticated. Her slightly chubby face now exuded an air of sophistication unique to socialites, complementing the apricot lace dress perfectly. Although it fell short compared to her former self, it was still presentable for Miss Shi.


    Moreover, Tang Ze had no idea how many times Miss Shi had internally criticized how substandard the makeup products were and how cheap the perfume smelled. Her former products were exclusively used by royal families abroad. Now that she was impoverished, she didn¡¯t even suffer from allergies anymore.


    Money indeed shouldn¡¯t be wasted on inferior goods.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s almost time.¡±


    Tang Ze led Shi Lan to the front desk.


    This was originally her territory, and she knew every office like the back of her hand, but now, she had to pretend it was her first time here.


    The receptionist took them in the elevator to the third-floor conference room, where the Huahai staff were already in place.


    However, the atmosphere in the conference room was a bit eerie. The attendees could only communicate with their eyes, not daring to make any sound, because everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Yan Shixiu, who occupied the main seat.


    He had an especially solemn demeanor, his gaze as sharp as a blade, emitting danger through his thin glasses, yet his appearance was extraordinarily handsome and genteel.


    Such a person, if not for Shi Lan, few in Yancheng could contend with him.

 Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: 006 Wants to Be a Dad

    Chapter 6: 006 Wants to Be a Dad


    The receptionist led Tang Ze and Shi Lan into the conference room, and at that moment, Tang Ze was startled by the atmosphere in the room, as he had not anticipated that Yan Shixiu would personally come to oversee the signing.


    The dread that emanated from this man was so intense that even Tang Ze, a male himself, couldn¡¯t help but shudder, let alone the young girl beside him. Therefore, he instinctively took care of Shi Lan¡¯s feelings.


    However, the moment Shi Lan entered the conference room and saw Yan Shixiu, she wished she could bite him. There was no fear in her eyes, only anger, as if the quarrel she had with Yan Shixiu had occurred just yesterday.


    ¡°An Lan, this is President Yan,¡± Tang Ze reminded Shi Lan, ¡°Say hello.¡±


    Yan Shixiu had noticed the familiar expression on Shi Lan¡¯s face the moment she walked through the door. Even though it was a completely strange and much younger face, in that instant, he felt as if the person who entered was Shi Lan, with the same demeanor, eyes, and the way she usually argued with him at home.


    Shi Lan came to her senses, remembered her identity, and restrained her ¡°hatred¡± for Yan Shixiu, greeting all the staff of Huahai with ¡°politeness.¡±


    Miss Shi is humbly online.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be formal. Let¡¯s get straight to the point, you sign, and I¡¯m just here to look,¡± Yan Shixiu finally spoke, having sat at the head of the table for a long time.


    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, then began discussing Shi Lan¡¯s film remuneration and breach of contract clauses.


    Yan Shixiu sat in the main seat, carefully observing the young girl across from him, from her makeup to her behavior, while his right hand unconsciously twirled the wedding ring on his left ring finger.


    Everyone present noticed it, and naturally, so did Shi Lan. It was hard to describe how she felt, but she had taken hers off long ago, never really wore it seriously. In her marriage with Yan Shixiu, she had been the one insisting on the relationship, yet even after three years, she never felt that Yan Shixiu belonged to her. His heart was as solid as a fortress, more expensive than the land price of the White House.


    He would probably take it off soon, too, but that had nothing to do with her now. If she said now that she was Shi Lan and wanted to retrieve Shi Lan¡¯s belongings, probably the whole world would think she had gone mad.


    So, Shi Lan forced her attention back to the contract. That was her future career.


    ¡°If both parties have no issues, let¡¯s sign the contract,¡± the Huahai personnel handed over two copies of the contract and a signing pen.


    Tang Ze handed the pen to Shi Lan, who took it, waved it big and realized she had out of habit written a day, then quickly erased it and switched to her left hand to rewrite.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Tang Ze noticed and quickly asked.


    ¡°The right hand still can¡¯t muster strength,¡± Shi Lan pointed to the injury on her wrist and explained, which also temporarily covered why her handwriting and An Lan¡¯s were different.


    After signing, Shi Lan handed out the contract.


    Eventually, one copy of the contract reached Yan Shixiu.


    He casually flipped through it, saw the erased handwriting, and quipped, ¡°As an artist, you should at least practice signing.¡±


    ¡°An Lan¡¯s hand hasn¡¯t fully recovered yet,¡± Tang Ze explained for Shi Lan.


    ¡°I remember Miss An also has some negative news about her. I hope that after you join the crew, you manage your personal matters well and don¡¯t let personal feelings cause the crew to suffer.¡±


    Yan Shixiu subtly referred to An Lan¡¯s grudge with that National Couple.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, President Yan, I will settle things with Huahai.¡±


    ¡°Then do it soon!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This infuriating man still spoke in such an annoying manner, Shi Lan felt a headache coming on, wanting to stay away from this so-called gentleman.


    Since the marriage was a thing of the past, Shi Lan naturally hoped she wouldn¡¯t fall into romantic entanglements again. This life, she wanted to live unrestrained and free!


    Fortunately, the signing ceremony did not last long. Yan Shixiu dismissed everyone quite straightforwardly, but, as An Lan was leaving, Yan Shixiu pushed up his glasses and said, ¡°I will appear in the crew to visit from time to time.¡±


    Shi Lan¡¯s refusal was on the tip of her tongue, but suddenly she remembered, at the moment, he was the father.


    Shi Lan held back her anger and left with Tang Ze, but after getting into the car, Tang Ze¡¯s first words to her were, ¡°I always feel like you know President Yan.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    We don¡¯t know each other, don¡¯t talk nonsense, I don¡¯t!


    Silly brother, that was a bad karma from a past life.


    ¡°Eh?¡± After getting into the car, Tang Ze suddenly said to Shi Lan, ¡°Gu Chengyu has repaid the debt, and he also said¡­¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± Shi Lan asked, fiddling with her long hair.


    ¡°He also said for you not to appear before him again. Before, he was tolerating it because of being classmates, but he won¡¯t be so polite anymore. If you contact him privately again, he will hand it over to lawyers. He also said¡­ you could throw yourself at him for another ten years, and he would not spare you a glance.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention, he¡¯s really full of himself¡­ such trash, and you treat him like a treasure,¡± Tang Ze couldn¡¯t help but complain for Shi Lan.


    Shi Lan was calm: ¡°As long as he repays the money, all is well. As for the rest? Wait a few days and watch a good show in the crew.¡±


    As for what lawyers or not, she didn¡¯t know; she only knew she was hired by Huahai. Let Gu Chengyu dare to sue and try?


    Moreover, now that Huahai was in Yan Shixiu¡¯s hands, thinking about this made Shi Lan¡¯s mood fall into complexity again.¡±


    Even if she really had time to make her will half a month ago, she still had no one she wanted to leave things to. Rather than having the Shi Family take over her inheritance, she would prefer Yan Shixiu to inherit it.


    But thinking about his upcoming remarriage and another woman reaping the benefits, Shi Lan felt like drawing her sword again.


    Plainly speaking, she wanted to be Yan Shixiu¡¯s dad, but the reality was just the opposite.

 Chapter 7 - Chapter 7: 007 bootlicker biss

    Chapter 7: 007 bootlicker biss


    In order not to affect the reputation of ¡°Smoke Beauty,¡± the role of the second female lead will not be announced by the production team anytime soon, and they prefer to keep it private.


    Everyone in the production team found it odd that the producers chose An Lan, fully aware of her poor character and that she was Gu Chengyu¡¯s lapdog, which would surely lead to chaos once she joined the set.


    Moreover, they had selected Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini for their popularity as the National Couple, and now inserting a mistress into the mix was simply a shock to one¡¯s morals. However, they hadn¡¯t yet informed the two main actors about this.


    Compared to the distress of the production team, Shi Lan seemed rather relaxed because the character of the wealthy young mistress she was to play was arrogant and overbearing by nature, so she would just need to act in her true colors.


    However, Shi Lan was going to share scenes with the male and female leads, which would probably drive the National Couple insane. Thinking about this, Shi Lan felt somewhat excited.


    After leaving Huahai, Tang Ze took Shi Lan back to her original apartment.


    When they reached the door, Shi Lan suddenly stopped.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Use the money from that scumbag to find me a more upscale apartment, with better security, a bathtub, swimming pool, good lighting and ventilation, preferably close to the water. Also, find me a maid who can cook various cuisines, to help with cooking and cleaning.¡±


    Although Miss Shi was bound by a deadly contract and couldn¡¯t buy her freedom for now, she couldn¡¯t give up on a refined life. An Lan¡¯s body also needed to be well taken care of.


    Having heard this, Tang Ze wasn¡¯t surprised. He firmly believed that Shi Lan was possessed, the soul living in her body wasn¡¯t hers, but this soul had personality, a sense of aesthetics and, although the demands had increased, Tang Ze didn¡¯t think they were unreasonable.


    ¡°So, what about this¡­ what should we do?¡±


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t want to enter because everything inside was about Gu Chengyu. An Lan¡¯s obsession with Gu Chengyu was nearly fanatical.


    ¡°As for that scumbag¡¯s stuff, sell all the things he endorsed online at a low price; give away all the life-sized posters and such. Cancel the lease on the apartment, and let the former An Lan be completely dead.¡±


    Now, Tang Ze believed that Shi Lan was truly ready to let go of that scumbag Gu Chengyu, so he gave her back her phone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone look for a place for you, but it will take a few days. You don¡¯t have anywhere to stay for now; you can stay at my place. It¡¯s just for a day or two since you¡¯ll be joining the set soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Then, Miss Shi returned to the car without looking back.


    Tang Ze brought her to his home and had the guest room prepared for Shi Lan to stay temporarily. Being short on funds, Shi Lan didn¡¯t have much to complain about. She used Tang Ze¡¯s study to review the script of ¡°Smoke Beauty.¡±


    ¡°Right, sell that jerk¡¯s stuff using my account,¡± Shi Lan instructed Tang Ze.


    Tang Ze understood Shi Lan¡¯s intentions and nodded, ¡°You¡¯re finally starting to act like a human being!¡±


    Tang Ze had people clean up everything and then registered a Xiaoyu account for Shi Lan, complete with real-name verification. Once the products were listed, Tang Ze had someone give them unique names.


    For example, the razor endorsed by Gu Chengyu was named ¡°Blind past.¡±


    The watch endorsed by Gu Chengyu was named ¡°Restore Aesthetics.¡±


    The jacket endorsed by Gu Chengyu was named ¡°Already Turned Black.¡±


    Selling Gu Chengyu¡¯s endorsements and merchandise under An Lan¡¯s verified account created a particularly strong visual impact.


    The gossipy public immediately caught the gist.


    ¡°Little Green Tea is causing trouble again!¡±


    ¡°Did Little Green Tea finally awaken? Has she decided to stop bothering my brother?¡±


    ¡°Heat-chasing warning, I¡¯m sure this is Little Green Tea¡¯s marketing ploy.¡±


    ¡°Take my brother away, fools don¡¯t cue.¡±


    ¡°An Lan, please keep your distance, don¡¯t drag my brother down anymore; I really don¡¯t want to believe you¡¯d lose followers, do you have the integrity? Lapdog biss.¡±

 Chapter 8 - Chapter 8: 008 Banquet set phrases

    Chapter 8: 008 Banquet set phrases


    This incident sparked a wave of criticism, with the entire internet doubting Shi Lan had calmed down, suspecting she was up to her old tricks again. However, Tang Ze believed that the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, and it was good that Shi Lan took a stance earlier.


    He just hadn¡¯t anticipated that it would draw Huahai¡¯s attention.


    Tang Ze received a call from Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant, asking him to visit Huahai¡ªpresumably to chide him and Shi Lan.


    But every time he thought of Yan Shixiu, he felt terrified and reluctant.


    Yan Shixiu¡¯s scheming and maneuvering were unfathomably deep, making anyone in his presence feel almost as vulnerable as streaking.


    Tang Ze, with great reluctance, headed to Huahai once more and was escorted by the receptionist to the CEO¡¯s office.


    ¡°President Yan, Mr. Tang has arrived.¡± The secretary knocked on the door.


    The place where Yan Shixiu resided now was once Shi Lan¡¯s office. Even the chair remained unchanged.


    Yan Shixiu swiveled in his chair, shut down his computer, and looked up at Tang Ze, who stood at the doorway.


    ¡°President Yan¡­¡±


    ¡°Sit,¡± Yan Shixiu motioned with his chin towards the chair opposite him.


    Tang Ze plodded over and took a seat with difficulty.


    ¡°The drama hasn¡¯t even started filming yet, and there¡¯s already trouble?¡± Yan Shixiu intentionally began with a challenging tone.


    ¡°President Yan, it¡¯s not what you¡¯re thinking¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard that An¡­ Lan has become quite different in personality since she woke up. Are you sure she won¡¯t cause any problems during filming?¡± Yan Shixiu leaned back slightly and crossed his arms, his words icy cold.


    Tang Ze, failing to realize he was being led into a trap, hurriedly explained, ¡°President Yan, An Lan¡­ she¡¯s just been through a shock. She¡¯s given up on love now and only wants to focus on her career. You can rest assured, she won¡¯t be wilful anymore. Look, the incident that exploded on the internet today, that¡¯s An Lan¡¯s attitude.¡±


    ¡°So, her personality, preferences, and way she speaks are all different now?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re quite different. She¡¯s become picky and critical, but, President Yan, she really has grown up.¡±


    Yan Shixiu watched him but didn¡¯t press further, merely asking, ¡°Although An Lan isn¡¯t an artist under Huahai, she has signed on for a Huahai drama. In order to protect Huahai¡¯s reputation, if you face any difficulties, feel free to bring them up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, President Yan, but we¡¯re not having any difficulties at the moment.¡± Tang Ze didn¡¯t dare to owe this favor.


    ¡°Where is she staying?¡± Yan Shixiu suddenly asked.


    Given a certain someone¡¯s fussy taste, An Lan¡¯s previous dwelling would probably not meet certain standards.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already had someone look for a new place for her, but it will take some time. So for now, she¡¯s staying at my house ¡ª just for two days, since she¡¯ll be joining the crew soon.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think she has enough scandals?¡± Yan Shixiu asked coldly. ¡°I¡¯ll arrange for someone to prepare a hotel room for her, at the very least, to keep things quiet during the filming period.¡±


    Tang Ze opened his mouth, intending to refuse, but he had no right to do so.


    Yan Shixiu had made his stance clear, and even if Tang Ze had ten times the courage, he wouldn¡¯t dare tarnish Huahai¡¯s reputation. Besides, he was a man; if photos of Shi Lan entering or leaving his house surfaced, he would be at a loss for words, no matter what the truth was.


    ¡°Then¡­I will thank President Yan on An Lan¡¯s behalf for the arrangements.¡±


    ¡°If the performance is botched, I¡¯ll replace her at any time, so there¡¯s no need for thanks. Huahai has always been good to its artists.¡±


    Tang Ze felt like he was on pins and needles in Yan Shixiu¡¯s office.


    Fortunately, after his sharp rebuke, Yan Shixiu let him go.


    Tang Ze fled from Huahai like the wind, as if he¡¯d been granted a reprieve.


    Once he had left, Yan Shixiu summoned his assistant through the intercom: ¡°Book a room for An Lan at Yujing Hotel and have someone pick her up before evening.¡±


    ¡°Yes, President Yan,¡± his assistant acknowledged.


    ¡°After you manage that, follow my instructions and find a set of rooms,¡± Yan Shixiu continued.


    Certain people¡¯s pet peeves, so far suppressed, were bound to erupt sooner or later.


    The assistant agreed and immediately set to work.


    After hanging up the phone, Yan Shixiu sighed.


    Have you truly given up on everything?


    To brazenly spend the night at another man¡¯s home.

 Chapter 9 - Chapter 9: Encounter the best

    Chapter 9: Encounter the best


    Shi Lan had always been wild and untamed, a staunch advocate for freedom. She would never bind others with any so-called moral ethics, similarly, she would not be bound by anyone else.


    In the past, she had Yan Shixiu and a marriage certificate.


    Although Yan Shixiu felt it was a mere formality, throughout those three years, he had never heard the words ¡®divorce¡¯ from her lips.


    And now? It seemed she was completely free, more elusive and unpredictable like the wind.


    But¡­ Shi Lan was Shi Lan, regardless of which life, she would always belong to Yan Shixiu.


    ¡­


    In the evening, Huahai sent someone to pick up Shi Lan from the hotel. After hearing Tang Ze¡¯s explanation, she found it reasonable and had no objections. Her image as a ¡®green tea bitch¡¯ was now deeply ingrained in people¡¯s hearts, and Huahai¡¯s many concerns were justified.


    More importantly, she could finally enjoy the luxury of a big bed and fragrant spa treatments to take care of her body.


    Thinking back to her past life with her delicate, slender hands¡ªa global signature¡ªalthough An Lan¡¯s natural conditions were not bad, filming conditions were harsh, and it was inevitable that her hands were not meticulously cared for. And that scar on her wrist was truly unsightly, affecting the senses. She would need to undergo a scar lightening treatment, but even so, the possibility of becoming a hand model again was practically impossible.


    While bathing, Shi Lan saw the healing scar on her wrist, reddish-purple in color, stretching across her entire wrist: ¡°It¡¯s so ugly, maybe I¡¯ll get something tattooed over it.¡±


    But, for some reason, whenever she thought about getting a tattoo, Shi Lan would envisage Yan Shixiu¡¯s moist, shadowy, and guarded eyes.


    Upon reflection, Shi Lan felt conflicted. Although she was annoyed about her wealth being inherited by others in her previous life, she understood that those assets no longer belonged to her. Dwelling on it was pointless, but Yan Shixiu¡­ caused her much anguish.


    And yet, that bastard had divided her wealth so decisively¡­


    Shi Lan thought for a moment; here she could tattoo the character ¡®Shi,¡¯ styled as an English letter, representing Shi Lan¡¯s ¡®Shi¡¯ and also Yan Shixiu¡¯s ¡®Shi¡¯, marking it as her own seal, to remind herself that those were matters of a past life.


    The two days flew by quickly.


    Tang Ze, along with Shi Lan¡¯s new assistant, came to the hotel to escort her to the film set for check-in.


    Upon entering Shi Lan¡¯s room, Tang Ze was astounded. Whether it was due to the hotel¡¯s excellent food or not, Shi Lan no longer looked like a lifeless, bloodless doll, but rather, she appeared much healthier and more radiant.


    Looking around her room, the bar held empty bottles of red wine, the desk displayed the hotel¡¯s most famous pastries, the most expensive face masks rested on the nightstand, and new clothes neatly ironed hung in the closet. If it weren¡¯t for Shi Lan¡¯s presence, Tang Ze would have thought he¡¯d entered the bedroom of an international superstar.


    ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve got the mindset of a big star now, not bad! Oh, and this is Sun Ling, your temporary assistant. She¡¯ll take care of your daily needs during the filming of ¡®Smoke Beauty¡¯. She¡¯s very competent and can fulfill all your requests,¡±


    Tang Ze¡¯s implication being, if Shi Lan was satisfied, they could consider signing a long-term contract.


    Shi Lan surveyed the new arrival from the sofa¡ªa capable-looking girl in her mid-twenties, with long, straight black hair. While not exquisite, she looked tidy, clean-cut, and full of vitality.


    ¡°How good are you at arguing?¡± This was the first thing Shi Lan said to Sun Ling.


    Tang Ze: ¡°¡­¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°¡­¡±


    When it came time to join the cast, it was bound to be chaotic. Tang Ze wondered if the assistant could keep up with Shi Lan¡¯s pace.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit presumptuous¡­ ahem, well, let¡¯s go then.¡±


    Sun Ling found Shi Lan very strange. When she first heard that she was taking over the role of a ¡®little green tea¡¯, she was quite averse. In this industry, the worst fear is dealing with an ¡®actress¡¯, and Shi Lan was precisely that type.


    Especially this time, as the leads were the National Couple, there were rumors about her obsessing over Gu Chengyu. Sun Ling didn¡¯t know if she would end up disrupting the entire production.


    Shi Lan could see the repulsion in the other¡¯s eyes, but that was normal.


    ¡°An Lan¡­ well, Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini have been on set for two days. We might run into them when we get there since there¡¯s a lot of interaction between opponents in the script¡­¡± While Sun Ling spoke, she continued to observe Shi Lan.


    ¡°Running into them would be best.¡± After Shi Lan got into the car, she flipped through the script while responding.


    After hearing her answer, Sun Ling felt like she needed an oxygen mask.

 Chapter 10 - Chapter 10: 010 Amazing turnaround?

    Chapter 10: 010 Amazing turnaround?


    The film base was not far from Yancheng. Shi Lan had Tang Ze take her straight to the set without bothering to settle down. Since fireworks were scheduled for today anyway, why not just set them all off with a bang? Once everything exploded in a flurry, it would save trouble later on.


    Tang Ze and Sun Ling were both frightened and nervous. Upon their arrival at the set, disdainful looks were inevitable, but upon close observation, they noticed that Miss Shi Lan seemed not at all flustered and appeared quite composed.


    Tang Ze and Sun Ling exchanged a glance.


    Tang Ze shrugged. Since Shi Lan had her brush with death at Ghost Gate, she had changed into a different person, so now he had no idea what she was planning.


    Soon, the nanny van drove onto the set. The entire crew was busy preparing for the upcoming shoot as the leads rehearsed their scenes.


    However, when Shi Lan stepped out of the nanny van, she still attracted the attention of the entire set.


    Everyone had the disgusted look of ¡°the bootlicker has come to the crew.¡±


    Only the director and some of the staff knew that Shi Lan was on the set as the second female lead.


    Gu Chengyu was one of those kept in the dark. Seeing Shi Lan, he threw his Republic-era costume drama script to his assistant and walked straight towards her.


    He even apologized to the director in the process, ¡°Sorry, Director Tang, let me handle this first to avoid delaying the shoot.¡±


    Director Tang was startled, pondering how to explain, when he saw Gu Chengyu marching over, grabbing Shi Lan, and shouting with a harsh tone, ¡°Haven¡¯t I warned you never to show up in front of me again? Do you even know what crew this is? This is not a place you should be, An Lan, do you have no self-respect?¡±


    The entire set heard Gu Chengyu¡¯s grating reprimand.


    Nobody spoke up, because they all had enough reasons to dislike Shi Lan.


    Tang Ze and Sun Ling looked at each other again, considering who should speak up to clarify, but to their surprise, Shi Lan spoke up, ¡°You warn me, and I should listen? What the hell are you? Gu Chengyu, you¡­ are you a bit too full of yourself? Sure, I was a bit blind in the past and chased after you, but you don¡¯t really think I would continue to like a scumbag who treated me as a backup and nearly got me killed, do you?¡±


    As soon as Shi Lan spoke, everyone on the set was stunned. What kind of dramatic reversal was this?


    The bootlicker wasn¡¯t bootlicking anymore?


    ¡°Lying in the hospital for half a month, I¡¯ve figured everything out, you¡­¡± Shi Lan pushed Gu Chengyu away, ¡°are really not that great. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I really didn¡¯t come for you. Let me reintroduce myself¡ªthe second female lead of ¡®Smoke Beauty¡¯¡ªAn Lan.¡±


    Everyone was dumbfounded, ignited by Shi Lan¡¯s words.


    Tang Ze was especially thrilled; his kid had finally grown up.


    Gu Chengyu¡¯s face was a mask of embarrassment, and suddenly, he was like a mute, unable to utter another word.


    Shi Lan snorted coldly and then turned to where Director Tang was standing, making her position clear to everyone, ¡°Director Tang, I am reporting for duty. Rest assured, now that I have joined the crew, I will fully cooperate with the filming. If it must be said that I am here for someone, it must be for my role. If, during this, I show any uncooperative behavior due to personal issues, you are welcome to replace me at any time.¡±


    After hearing Shi Lan¡¯s speech, Director Tang¡¯s expression surprisingly lightened up.


    ¡°To all the crew present, did you hear that?¡± Director Tang wanted everyone to bear witness, then turned to Shi Lan with a warning, ¡°I will not be polite.¡±


    ¡°I will live up to your trust.¡± Having said that, Shi Lan turned and said to Tang Ze, ¡°Let¡¯s go, head to the hotel to settle in.¡±


    At that moment, Gu Chengyu was still standing in front of Shi Lan, but she treated him like air.


    Tang Ze was still savoring Shi Lan¡¯s words, feeling utterly refreshed to see Gu Chengyu¡¯s self-important facade crumble.


    And Sun Ling, after Shi Lan got into the car, was still gaping in astonishment.


    This was a bootlicker?


    More like a machine gun, okay?

 Chapter 11 - Chapter 11: 011 Small Scene

    Chapter 11: 011 Small Scene


    After Shi Lan left, the atmosphere on set became incredibly awkward.


    Usually, everyone had heard too much news about An Lan chasing after Gu Chengyu, but now, faced with the sudden contrast, they found it extremely difficult to adapt.


    Seeing this, Chen Beini ran to Gu Chengyu¡¯s side, her expression also unpleasant, and asked, ¡°Gu Chengyu, aren¡¯t you going to explain this to me?¡±


    ¡°Nini, you have to believe me, I don¡¯t know how she sneaked in. I feel disgusted just looking at her. I¡¯ll ask my broker later; maybe we can find a way to replace her. What qualification does she have to play the second female lead?¡±


    Chen Beini saw the disgust on Gu Chengyu¡¯s face and believed that he was unaware.


    She had thought that after she exposed the chat records of An Lan groveling to Gu Chengyu, An Lan¡¯s career would be over, and she would hold back. However, she didn¡¯t expect An Lan to even infiltrate the production team.


    Chen Beini had no idea that she hadn¡¯t only ruined An Lan¡¯s career but also pushed her towards death.


    The one who was still alive now was Nicholas Sheeran.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, we¡¯ve just confirmed our relationship, and you must deal with her. This woman is full of tricks, and she plays the innocent so well. I don¡¯t want her to ruin the good impression we¡¯ve finally established.¡±


    ¡°Nini, rest assured.¡± Gu Chengyu promised with a raised hand, ¡°My heart only has you!¡±


    ¡­


    Tang Ze took Shi Lan to check into the hotel and discovered that Huahai had actually arranged a panoramic suite for Shi Lan.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Huahai to actually treat artists well,¡± Tang Ze sighed.


    Miss Shi was online with doubts; how come she didn¡¯t know Huahai was so generous?


    Had that dog of a man, Yan Shixiu, just taken over and started to squander the company¡¯s resources?


    ¡°Alright, I was worried at first that you wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it, but after seeing your performance just now, I¡¯m completely reassured. It seems that after a trip to the Ghost Gate, you¡¯ve had a profound awakening. Focus on acting well from now on; the company won¡¯t let you down.¡± Tang Ze said earnestly to Shi Lan before leaving, ¡°Call me if you have any problems.¡±


    Shi Lan raised an eyebrow, signaling Tang Ze could exit the stage.


    However, before he left, Tang Ze called Sun Ling out and instructed, ¡°Her current demeanor might be fake. Keep an eye on her movements and report to me promptly if there¡¯s an issue.¡±


    ¡°Fake?¡± Sun Ling choked, ¡°Isn¡¯t the acting a bit too real?¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been normal since waking up from the suicide attempt. What if it¡¯s all an act? Anyway, I appreciate your hard work!¡±


    Sun Ling suddenly felt that they might still need to buy a ventilator.


    Shi Lan knew what Tang Ze was thinking, and when Sun Ling returned, she opened a bottle of red wine with composure, sniffed it at the rim of the bottle, then disdainfully pushed it away, saying of the subpar drink, ¡°He asked you to keep an eye on me, didn¡¯t he¡­¡±


    ¡°That, An Lan¡­¡±


    ¡°These are just minor issues, no need to be nervous. However, I think you need to perk up first, as Gu Chengyu will cause more trouble. When the time comes, I¡¯ll need you to speak on my behalf. I don¡¯t want to waste my breath on him,¡± Shi Lan told Sun Ling with a focus.


    Sun Ling was taken aback and momentarily speechless.


    Because the records showed that An Lan was only twenty-one years old, no matter what, she should be just an ignorant young girl. But the An Lan before him had sharp, clear eyes, exuding a wildness that seemed to play with the world, and just one glance was enough to send shivers down the spine.


    But it was a fleeting moment, and Shi Lan reverted to the ease and arrogance of a young lady, preparing for a beauty sleep.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to look at the crew¡¯s notice?¡± Shi Lan lifted her head and reminded Sun Ling with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Then you rest, I¡¯ll go¡­ I¡¯ll get busy,¡± Sun Ling replied.


    Once Sun Ling closed the room door, Shi Lan started to survey the room. The plight of a little pauper, not even deserving to open a bottle of decent red wine.


    Suddenly she missed her underground wine cellar, truly a bargain thanks to that dog of a man, Yan Shixiu!!

 Chapter 12 - Chapter 12: 012 human-shaped body pillow

    Chapter 12: 012 human-shaped body pillow


    Sun Ling went to find the on-site producer to confirm Shi Lan¡¯s notice arrangements, but on her way, she heard a lot of negative emotions from the crew members. She also heard that Gu Chengyu had taken Director Tang out for drinks in the evening, the gist was that he wanted Director Tang to replace Shi Lan.


    Gu Chengyu insisted that Shi Lan joined the crew for him and simply switched to a different method to approach him.


    A fine production team, no one wanted it disrupted by a single piece of ¡°rat droppings¡± like Shi Lan.


    With Gu Chengyu¡¯s current clout, of course, he wouldn¡¯t affect casting decisions, but he could stir people¡¯s hearts.


    In the meantime, Gu Chengyu also told Director Tang a lot about An Lan¡¯s absurd past, which made Director Tang¡¯s impression of Shi Lan even worse.


    Sun Ling listened with anger and returned to Shi Lan¡¯s room with a flushed face.


    Although she also disliked sycophants and bootlickers, she was now Shi Lan¡¯s assistant, and everyone has protective instincts; hearing her boss being ridiculed made her feel awful.


    Shi Lan woke up from a sleep with an eye mask and, seeing Sun Ling¡¯s bad complexion, chuckled lightly, ¡°Seems like you didn¡¯t hear anything good.¡±


    ¡°An¡­ Lan, the producer there hasn¡¯t scheduled your notice because he feels¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be replaced,¡± Shi Lan finished her sentence, but there wasn¡¯t a hint of anxiety in her eyes. She ruffled her hair, stretched lazily, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter; if they want to waste the production¡¯s budget, it¡¯s not my loss.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried at all?¡± Sun Ling looked at her, curious.


    Shi Lan: ¡°Should I pretend to be a bit anxious? Then I¡¯m very worried.¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°¡­¡±


    I don¡¯t believe you for a second.


    ¡°I underestimated someone¡¯s narcissism, thought after this morning¡¯s blowup it would¡¯ve quieted down, but I didn¡¯t expect someone to be so shameless. So tomorrow, I¡¯ll set off a bigger one¡­¡±


    As soon as Sun Ling heard that Shi Lan was planning something, she felt uneasy. She thought about calling Tang Ze later, but her myriad of thoughts were seen right through by Shi Lan.


    ¡°No need to contact Tang Ze, I can handle it.¡±


    Sun Ling paused, and with a warning look from Shi Lan, was successfully deterred.


    ¡°Sun Ling, ever since I woke up from that suicide, I¡¯ve been quite moody, so just go with the flow around me. I¡¯ll let you know just how bad my temper can be, but also how strong my capabilities are.¡±


    Sun Ling felt like she was being threatened by dark forces, sat on the sofa, unable to utter a word.


    Theoretically, she was older than An Lan, and should be able to overpower the latter.


    But at this moment¡­


    Shi Lan knew she had been too harsh and waved her hand, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to scare you, you¡¯ll understand tomorrow.¡±


    Sun Ling still didn¡¯t dare to make a move.


    The powerful woman opened her mouth, knowing she had frightened someone severely, but showing weakness didn¡¯t fit the heiress¡¯s persona, so Shi Lan lay back down and slept again.


    Sun Ling sat in the dark for a while, and after the fear, a strange sense of excitement took over.


    Because she believed that Shi Lan¡¯s hate towards Gu Chengyu stemmed from love turned sour, and every woman engulfed in hatred could be mad enough to torment the scumbag to death¡­


    With this in mind, she was actually looking forward to tomorrow??


    ¡­


    Shi Lan stayed in the hotel all day, sleeping and reading the script, and of course, she had many complaints about the female supporting character¡¯s setting.


    When it was late at night, Shi Lan suddenly said to Sun Ling, ¡°Help me order a good bottle of wine.¡±


    Sun Ling wanted to ask why, but remembering Shi Lan said to just go along with her, she could only oblige.


    Shi Lan suffered from insomnia.


    She could barely sleep when she was weak before, but now that she had regained some strength, the nights were unbearable.


    She recalled how each night in the past, she had Yan Shixiu¡¯s scalding body beside her.


    Now she knew the difference between having Yan Shixiu by her side and not.


    Unexpectedly, she still couldn¡¯t sleep even after switching bodies.


    The problem was she had lost her medicine¡­


    It seems, she¡¯ll have to find a way to bring Yan Shixiu to bed.


    A 1:1 human-shaped body pillow, she wondered if it would help.

 Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: 013 Im asking you to pass away.

    Chapter 13: 013 I¡¯m asking you to pass away.


    Late at night, the air in Yancheng was humid and suffocatingly hot.


    Ever since Yan Shixiu took over Huahai, he¡¯d quickly got to grips with the entire operation in a very short period of time.


    At the same time, he felt a sense of satisfaction mixed with pride; under Shi Lan¡¯s leadership, there indeed were no bad debts to settle.


    ¡°Mr. Yan, Director Tang has called, and he¡¯d like to speak with you,¡± the assistant said respectfully, knocking on the glass door to Yan Shixiu¡¯s office.


    ¡°Put him through on the intercom,¡± Yan Shixiu replied without lifting his head.


    In truth, Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t have to guess; he knew it had to do with Shi Lan¡¯s role as the second female lead.


    The moment someone had a meltdown on their first day on set, now being ostracized by the whole crew, it wouldn¡¯t have come to the director making the call himself if it weren¡¯t serious.


    Yan Shixiu had been worried about finding an excuse to see her, but now, it seemed like a good opportunity.


    ¡­


    Shi Lan dared to openly cause such a commotion for many reasons.


    Firstly, having signed a servitude contract, she had no choice in the matter, but she really didn¡¯t want to see Gu Chengyu¡¯s face. If Gu Chengyu insisted on withdrawing her role as the second female lead, she¡¯d be happy to see it happen. But she had a fallback plan; if Gu Chengyu actually succeeded, she¡¯d make a big fuss about how he¡¯d been stringing her along as a backup while suppressing and ostracizing her, stirring up a storm and switching to the role of a victim.


    Secondly, she figured the role wouldn¡¯t be pulled; she couldn¡¯t say for certain about others, but Yan Shixiu had personally watched her sign the contract, in black and white. Now, with the whole crew suppressing and ostracizing her, it was a slap in Yan Shixiu¡¯s face. The man might seem genteel and harmless, like a university professor, gentle and refined, but¡­ if someone dared offend him, well, sorry, but please depart this world.


    Therefore, Shi Lan dared to risk going against industry norms and offend the entire crew to make her stance clear.


    The next day, Miss Shi Lan, who hadn¡¯t received any shooting schedule, arrived on set with Sun Ling by her side.


    This time, it was Director Tang discussing the script.


    The crew, aware of the ostracism that Shi Lan was facing, kept an unspoken agreement; knowing she wouldn¡¯t last in the crew, they didn¡¯t wish to bother with her. As for Gu Chengyu today, he had even less desire to throw a look Shi Lan¡¯s way, given he had had an in-depth conversation with Director Tang the night before. He was confident that, given Director Tang¡¯s strict requirements for actors, he wouldn¡¯t tolerate Shi Lan¡¯s continued delays in the crew.


    ¡°An Lan¡­ Or how about we try to speak to Director Tang in private later?¡± Sun Ling suggested, feeling awful as the surrounding staff treated them like air. It was just too humiliating.


    However, Shi Lan took a step forward and pushed Sun Ling behind her.


    Director Tang had finished discussing the scene and was resting behind the National Couple with the script in his hands. Shi Lan stepped forward politely and asked Director Tang, ¡°Director Tang, do you really intend to replace me?¡±


    Everyone on the scene was stunned. They¡¯d never seen an artist like Shi Lan, who knew what the director¡¯s attitude was but still walked into the line of fire.


    Director Tang put away his script and looked at Shi Lan with a complex expression.


    The atmosphere on set suddenly became tense and riveting.


    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t everyone¡¯s attitude¡­ clear enough? We don¡¯t need to exchange pleasantries. I¡¯m sure you know who¡¯s causing trouble, but as I said yesterday, I¡¯m not here for personal reasons. So, to avoid wasting everyone¡¯s time, how about I contact Huahai right now? I¡¯m signed with Huahai, and if Huahai wants to replace me, I won¡¯t say another word and will leave immediately. That way, I won¡¯t hold up everyone¡¯s time. What do you think?¡± Shi Lan said, her expression devoid of fear.


    Even faced with a big-time director, she was neither servile nor haughty, her demeanor collected.


    Director Tang was momentarily lost for words and didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°The whole set¡­ has at least three hundred people, right? To ridicule, mock, and coldly brutalize a twenty-one-year-old girl, did I desecrate your ancestors¡¯ graves?¡±


    Sun Ling was shocked by Shi Lan¡¯s words!


    She felt she needed an emergency heart pill right then.

 Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: 014 I believe in you

    Chapter 14: 014 I believe in you


    Everyone fell silent for a moment, likely never having seen such a brazen actor like Shi Lan. Even A-list superstars wouldn¡¯t dare to be so presumptuous in front of Director Tang, so what was Shi Lan considered to be?


    However, they couldn¡¯t refute the facts that Shi Lan had laid out.


    Shi Lan swept her gaze over everyone, especially Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini, then turned to Sun Ling and said, ¡°Contact Huahai and ask what Huahai thinks. If they want to replace someone, they should hurry up. Why should I have to sit here and take this attitude? Of course, if they leave me hanging but still pay my salary, I have no complaints.¡±


    Sun Ling¡¯s breathing became rapid, and her hands trembled.


    She thought to herself that a woman full of hatred was truly terrifying.


    For a moment, all were left unable to save face, including Director Tang.


    Shi Lan had no intention of giving anyone a way out anyway. After all, these people had made her uncomfortable from the start without considering her feelings.


    Everyone knew Shi Lan was arrogant, but Shi Lan had made her stance clear, after all¡ªyou have a problem, replace me!


    Gu Chengyu hadn¡¯t expected Shi Lan to be so direct, his face turned an ashen hue. He had been fanning the flames behind the scenes; he believed Shi Lan wouldn¡¯t dare to make a scene. But unexpectedly, Shi Lan was so recklessly outspoken and disrespectful.


    ¡°An Lan¡­ is she serious?¡± Sun Ling couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m joking? If Director Tang has many demands for the sake of work, I don¡¯t mind. But if it¡¯s for other reasons, then I¡¯m sorry, but I won¡¯t tolerate it. I¡¯ve already died once, what else is there to fear? I¡¯ve made my position clear; I will handle my private affairs well and not affect my work. Since the crew still has doubts, it¡¯s better to deal with it early, for everyone¡¯s sake¡­¡±


    Sun Ling took out her mobile phone, her breathing labored as she unlocked it. She never imagined that a day would come where she, a mere assistant, could make the director and a popular actor lose face. This was simply the peak of her life.


    At this moment, the silent Director Tang, with his hands clasped behind his back, glanced at Shi Lan, then turned to Gu Chengyu: ¡°I indeed drank a lot last night, but I don¡¯t think I ever said that I wanted to replace An Lan, did I?¡±


    ¡°Director Tang¡­¡± Gu Chengyu¡¯s face changed abruptly.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you saying that An Lan was trying to wrap herself around you to get into the crew by every possible means? But from what I see, she doesn¡¯t seem to want to entangle herself with you at all. She treats you like you don¡¯t even exist?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± Miss Shi Lan online, oozing disdain. Do I look the least bit like I want to cling to you?


    ¡°Since everyone has put their cards on the table, let¡¯s leave this matter for Huahai to handle. I indeed called Huahai President Yan last night, but I didn¡¯t propose to replace An Lan. I just hoped that Huahai would intervene and help to resolve the personal grudges among the actors, so as not to create obstacles for my shooting schedule.¡±


    ¡°The reason I didn¡¯t schedule An Lan for the scenes isn¡¯t that I want to replace her, but rather I wanted to see her attitude around the crew.¡±


    ¡°Now that I know, go and settle this with President Yan,¡± Director Tang finished and turned around, addressing the other staff, ¡°Adjust the scenes. Today we¡¯ll shoot Chen Beini¡¯s solo parts first.¡±


    Gu Chengyu looked at Shi Lan with hatred in his eyes.


    But Miss Shi Lan simply rolled her eyes and marveled at Director Tang¡¯s craftiness.


    He knew Gu Chengyu was stirring the pot. It seemed as if Director Tang was being used by Gu Chengyu, but in reality, he didn¡¯t take the fall for the shit Gu Chengyu flung his way, tossing the hot potato over to Huahai instead.


    The ruckus caused by Shi Lan made it difficult for him to look good, but he didn¡¯t show any fury towards Shi Lan, demonstrating a director¡¯s expected demeanor and magnanimity. At the same time, he was suppressing and warning Gu Chengyu, letting the leading actor know he had to follow the rules of the crew. He also gave Shi Lan a chance to make her statement in front of everyone.


    Shi Lan thought, a fine bottle of wine will be due after this.


    After Director Tang¡¯s words, order was restored on set.


    Shi Lan snorted with laughter and said to Gu Chengyu, ¡°Try harder. Just convince Yan Shixiu, and you won¡¯t have to deal with me anymore. I¡¯m rooting for you.¡±

 Chapter 15 - Chapter 15: 015 My seat, you come to sit?

    Chapter 15: 015 My seat, you come to sit?


    Gu Chengyu¡¯s face, in an instant, looked like he had swallowed shit.


    Sun Ling followed behind Shi Lan with a worried look, feeling that the atmosphere of the entire crew was even worse than before he arrived.


    Could it be that a woman who had once tasted death was really fearless of both heaven and earth?


    Miss Shi hadn¡¯t slept well last night. After getting into the car, she immediately closed her eyes to catch up on sleep.


    ¡°An Lan, aren¡¯t you afraid that Huahai will replace you? When the time comes, the broker company¡­ won¡¯t be able to explain it either.¡± Sun Ling felt that Shi Lan was recklessly testing the limits on the brink of being blacklisted.


    ¡°Why would Huahai want to replace me? Am I the one picking fights here?¡± Miss Shi rightly retorted Sun Ling, ¡°Also, since Director Tang had already contacted Huahai last night, it also shows that Huahai has no intention of replacing anyone. I¡¯m quite curious, actually, to hear how Gu Chengyu is going to badmouth me in front of Yan Shixiu.¡±


    Sun Ling thought despairingly, does your bootlicker diary even need fabricating?


    ¡­


    Two groups of people arrived at Huahai one after the other.


    Gu Chengyu and his broker had gone to Yan Shixiu¡¯s office ahead of Shi Lan, hoping to seize the initiative in the conversation.


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t care, languidly stretched after getting out of the car, and followed after Sun Ling to her¡­ no, to her scumbag man¡¯s office.


    In the uniquely decorated office, Gu Chengyu was now sitting in the chair in front of Yan Shixiu¡¯s desk, his expression continually poor.


    Clearly, he hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to speak first.


    Looking at Yan Shixiu, dressed in a white shirt without a tie, with the collar casually open, revealing his collarbone, his face bore no redundant expression, showed neither joy nor pleasantry, but beneath the rim of his glasses, those eyes were soul-stirring, deep and captivating.


    Shi Lan glanced at him and quickly averted her gaze.


    Because she knew that the desire beneath Yan Shixiu¡¯s glasses was worlds apart from his impeccably dressed appearance.


    What was more frightening was that the prospect of not continuing to sleep in this man¡¯s arms made her feel quite unaccustomed, even extremely regretful!


    Compared to him, the little-known actor Gu Chengyu seemed barely passable in front of Yan Shixiu.


    ¡°President Yan¡­¡± Upon seeing Shi Lan enter, Gu Chengyu couldn¡¯t help but speak up, ¡°I don¡¯t really have any objections to An Lan. I just don¡¯t want her to do things that would negatively affect the shooting of the crew because of personal issues.¡±


    Yan Shixiu raised his eyes to look at someone, then turned to Gu Chengyu, ¡°What personal matters do you think she has?¡±


    ¡°You know, over these years, she has been pestering me relentlessly¡­¡±


    Shi Lan couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with Gu Chengyu¡¯s self-delusion and her gaze fell on her liquor cabinet.


    Inside were her many years of cherished collections, which were now going to benefit that scumbag man.


    Yan Shixiu noticed and his thin lips slightly curled up. It seemed she wasn¡¯t indifferent about everything after all.


    These wines, they were all her beloved treasures.


    ¡°Recently, she even attempted suicide over me. With so much negative news about her, I honestly find it¡­ hard to work with her, President Yan¡­¡±


    ¡°Hah,¡± Shi Lan let out a sound of disdain.


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to work together,¡± Yan Shixiu withdrew his gaze and turned to look back at Gu Chengyu.


    After hearing Yan Shixiu¡¯s words, Gu Chengyu naturally assumed that Yan Shixiu was on his side and his expression relaxed, but then Yan Shixiu continued, ¡°I could replace you, or you can resign from the role yourself. There are plenty of actors queued up behind.¡±


    Gu Chengyu: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°When actors meddle with the director and producer¡¯s casting, why don¡¯t you take my place instead?¡±


    At that moment, Gu Chengyu¡¯s face turned utterly hideous.


    ¡°President Yan¡­ Chengyu didn¡¯t mean that. He also wants to make a good film,¡± Gu Chengyu¡¯s broker quickly tried to smooth things over.


    ¡°As far as I know, An Lan has already stated that she will not let personal reasons delay the shooting?¡±

 Chapter 16 - Chapter 16: 016 Never See Again

    Chapter 16: 016 Never See Again


    ¡°Mr. Yan, I understand now. From now on, I will respect Miss An and respect my own business partners,¡± Gu Chengyu was very tactful and didn¡¯t continue to collide against Yan Shixiu¡¯s sharp edge.


    ¡°An Lan, can you promise not to do anything inappropriate?¡± Yan Shixiu asked someone on the right sofa symbolically.


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise unless others don¡¯t provoke me,¡± Shi Lan answered ¡°honestly.¡±


    Gu Chengyu looked back at Shi Lan and burst into laughter: ¡°I¡¯ll wait and see.¡±


    Shi Lan shrugged her shoulders, ready for a fight at any time.


    Having gained nothing favorable, Gu Chengyu, along with his broker, dispiritedly left Yan Shixiu¡¯s office.


    The spacious office suddenly quieted down, leaving only Shi Lan and Yan Shixiu.


    Sun Ling tugged at Shi Lan¡¯s clothes, marveling at Yan Shixiu¡¯s attractiveness while fearing his authority.


    Looking at Shi Lan, she seemed unafraid, meeting the man¡¯s gaze naturally, without any psychological burden.


    ¡°Cough cough¡­ Mr. Yan, about the red wine in the cabinet, could I possibly buy two bottles from you?¡±


    ¡°Do you like drinking?¡± Yan Shixiu stood up from his office chair and walked towards the liquor cabinet, ¡°Which one caught your eye?¡±


    Shi Lan watched the tall, statuesque figure of the man, shook her head slightly, and casually pointed to the treasure inside.


    Yan Shixiu raised an eyebrow, pun intended: ¡°Good taste, the most expensive pick at random, but¡­ these wines don¡¯t belong to me, so I have no right to dispose of them.¡±


    Shi Lan was startled, her heart sharply scratched.


    ¡°Although I protected you today, I haven¡¯t approved of your acting yet. I hope you won¡¯t let Huahai down.¡±


    In Shi Lan¡¯s memory, Yan Shixiu rarely spoke so much to her, especially with a hint of a smile.


    In their not so long marital life, they each played king, never yielding to each other. Unexpectedly, now as strangers, the head-to-head contention and mutual hurt had disappeared.


    ¡°An Lan¡­ let¡¯s go,¡± Sun Ling reminded Shi Lan.


    Shi Lan nodded her head, ready to say goodbye to the man, when suddenly, Yan Shixiu¡¯s secretary knocked on the glass door.


    ¡°Mr. Yan, Miss Yan has arrived.¡±


    Yan Shixiu instinctively looked at Shi Lan, only to find that the Shi Lan who was just smiling a moment ago now only had scorn left.


    Thus, his tone turned cold: ¡°Instruct them that no one from the Yan Family is allowed to step into any recently acquired company. If someone lets them in, they can direct them out.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± the assistant retreated upon receiving the order.


    Shi Lan couldn¡¯t describe the feeling in her heart. She stood up from the sofa and said, ¡°Mr. Yan, I¡¯m heading back to the set.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, I look forward to your performance,¡± Yan Shixiu adjusted his glasses.


    ¡°Thank you, goodbye.¡±


    Thank you for today¡¯s protection, and thank you for not allowing Yan Family members to tarnish the empire she had worked hard to build.


    This time, it was Yan Shixiu who was stunned. The haughty Miss Shi, thank you was a rarity in her lifetime. In her world, she was always right, even if wrong, she would be incredibly proud.


    It turned out, with a change in identity and perspective, they could communicate normally.


    Shi Lan had been reborn, transforming An Lan.


    And An Lan¡¯s situation undoubtedly affected Shi Lan too.


    However, he didn¡¯t want to say goodbye.


    ¡­


    As Shi Lan left Huahai with Sun Ling and walked out the front door, she indeed saw her former sister-in-law being blocked outside, no matter how frantic and upset she was, even showing her identity didn¡¯t grant her entry.


    How relieving would it have been to see this scene in her previous life?


    Shi Lan thought so, but now, it was irrelevant to her.


    The two of them quickly got into the nanny van, and just as they closed the door, Sun Ling became excited, telling Shi Lan, ¡°The on-set producer asked me to go back and get the notices, An Lan, you can film smoothly now.¡±


    But unexpectedly, Shi Lan was more worried that staying up all night might cause her hair to fall out: ¡°I think, you should go get me a human-sized doll right away, it doesn¡¯t have to be too handsome, just exactly like Yan Shixiu will do, make sure it¡¯s a high-definition photo, or I might wake up in the middle of the night, frightened to death¡­¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

 Chapter 17 - Chapter 17: 017 Suicide also has this function?

    Chapter 17: 017 Suicide also has this function?


    Shi Lan may have been born a young lady in her previous life, but within the Shi Family household, she started learning various desensitization trainings for herself from the age of eight.


    Fear dictated the training, she had once locked herself in a storeroom to watch dark web videos until she could eat while watching without feeling disturbed before she ended this inhumane torment.


    From her childhood, the Shi elder had always instilled in her the idea that as the heir to the Shi Family, she could not have any weaknesses.


    Therefore, she desperately worked on improving her flaws; whenever she showed a vulnerable side, the Shi elder would relentlessly train her until she became the strongest, because in his heart, the Shi Family could only be number one.


    This also led to her mental breakdown and sleep disorders, with insomnia being something that couldn¡¯t possibly be desensitized. Therefore, Shi Lan had a regular psychologist, but this condition improved after her marriage to Yan Shixiu.


    After rebirth, Shi Lan feared nothing, whether it be dealing with the nation¡¯s favorite ¡®Green Tea¡¯ or being heavily in debt. Yet, she couldn¡¯t solve her insomnia problem; it seemed there were only three solutions in front of her.


    Alcohol, medication, Yan Shixiu.


    But now, Shi Lan tried to find a fourth option to see if a human-shaped body pillow could save her life.


    After Shi Lan left, Yan Shixiu instructed his assistant to immediately select several bottles of red wine to send to Shi Lan; she was a wine connoisseur, so the selection could not appear too deliberately chosen.


    He knew Shi Lan loved wine, but he did not understand why.


    ¡­


    Upon returning to the hotel, Shi Lan received the red wine delivered by the front desk. While it was under Huahai¡¯s name, she had only asked Yan Shixiu for wine earlier, so it was self-evident who had sent it.


    Isn¡¯t this sly dog too good at this?


    Is this sly dog often flirting with young girls behind her back?


    Shi Lan felt pathetic. Why did she have to discover that her backyard was ablaze after being reborn?


    Sun Ling watched Shi Lan uncork the wine and, not having heard that An Lan had a drinking habit, reminded her, ¡°We have filming early tomorrow, so perhaps skip the wine? If the crew finds out, who knows how they¡¯ll spin it.¡±


    Shi Lan, as she was pouring the wine, had no choice but to push away the tall glass after hearing Sun Ling¡¯s reminder.


    If she really drank herself into sleep, she would definitely not wake up on time in the morning.


    Although Shi Lan gave up on drinking, she still earnestly said to Sun Ling, ¡°I have insomnia.¡±


    Sun Ling was immediately frightened, after all, Shi Lan¡¯s persona as the Revenge Queen had taken deep root in her mind. She always felt that Shi Lan¡¯s mental state was unstable. Now that Shi Lan had confessed to insomnia, Sun Ling¡¯s mind raced with thoughts of depression, paranoid schizophrenia, and other psychological disorders.


    ¡°Then you drink¡­ If it helps you sleep better, go ahead, I¡¯ll wake you in the morning.¡±


    ¡°But I can¡¯t keep doing this in the long run, so, a human-shaped body pillow, you understand?¡±


    Sun Ling, unaware she had been set up by her female boss, nodded incessantly, ¡°Understood, understood, I¡¯ll get on it right away, I guarantee a 1:1 scale, high-definition, uncensored, long-legged.¡±


    However, why Yan Shixiu? Sun Ling wondered to herself with a tinge of worry. How embarrassing would it be if he found out?


    Shi Lan seemed to know what Sun Ling was thinking and said with a smile, ¡°Shh, whether it¡¯s the insomnia or the body pillow, it¡¯s my secret.¡±


    Sun Ling felt breathless, thinking she would be stimulated to death sooner or later.


    Shi Lan teased Sun Ling for a while, then her gaze fell on those bottles of red wine.


    Yan Shixiu, still an enigma to her.


    ¡°By the way, the on-site producer asked if you could ride a horse, he was looking for a stunt double. I answered for you, saying you couldn¡¯t,¡± Sun Ling mentioned as she was about to leave Shi Lan¡¯s room, suddenly recalling the matter.


    Little did she know¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for a stunt double, I can ride,¡± replied Shi Lan.


    ¡°But¡­ Tang Ze said you¡¯ve never touched one¡­?¡±


    ¡°Woke up knowing how to after a suicide attempt,¡± she jokingly said to Sun Ling.


    ¡°Suicide has that function too?¡±

 Chapter 18 - Chapter 18: 018 I originally loved her

    Chapter 18: 018 I originally loved her


    Throughout the afternoon, Chengyu, humiliated by Shi Xiu earlier in the day, was out of it, unable to understand how his formerly compliant backup had suddenly become so uncontrollable.


    He simply didn¡¯t believe the nonsense that An Lan had given up on him, especially since she had once clung to him, swearing that she would continue to love him from behind, even if he were married.


    Therefore, he always suspected that the reason An Lan had changed was due to love turning into hatred, still aimed at catching his attention.


    ¡°Smoke Beauty¡± was a major production, and he did not want his first film as a lead to be flawed by An Lan¡¯s involvement; he refused to let a potentially award-winning film be tainted by any association with her. Disgusting, right?


    However, he couldn¡¯t fathom what means An Lan had used to land the role of the second female lead.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been off your game all day. What exactly happened in Huahai?¡± Taking advantage of a break between scenes, Beini, with a script in hand, sat down beside Chengyu.


    ¡°The people in Huahai are crazy, actually defending such a¡­¡± He stopped short of uttering the words ¡°cheap woman.¡±


    Knowing he was in a bad mood, Beini set down the script and straightened his collar, saying, ¡°Since what¡¯s done is done, let¡¯s just wait and see. Since the chat records haven¡¯t made her give up, let her try; I too want to see what she¡¯s capable of, to be the second lead!¡±


    As everyone knows, the role of Fan Yan in ¡°Smoke Beauty,¡± a wealthy young lady, is very outgoing. With that ¡°cheap woman¡±, how could she possibly express Fan Yan¡¯s arrogance and nobility?


    ¡°She can¡¯t even mount¡­ just wait for the good show.¡±


    After listening to Beini¡¯s words, Chengyu wanted to embrace her, but considering they were still on set, he merely pinched her waist discreetly, flirting in the dim light, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she can¡¯t keep up the act much longer. She¡¯ll eventually be exposed.¡±


    ¡­


    Of course, Chengyu wasn¡¯t the only one upset by Shi Xiu today; Yan Ziqing, the Yan family¡¯s eldest daughter, was as well.


    Her older brother had already taken over Shi Lan¡¯s company, yet she was barred from even entering Huahai¡¯s building.


    The Yan family¡¯s living room was somewhat desolate late at night.


    When Shi Xiu entered the living room, Yan Ziqing immediately stood up from the sofa and asked, ¡°Big brother, were you the one who had me stopped at the entrance of the Huahai building today?¡±


    Shi Xiu loosened his jacket and looked at Yan Ziqing, ¡°I thought I made myself very clear.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand! Shi Lan is already dead. I remember you used to hate her; you were always arguing, and didn¡¯t you also resent her for trying to force you into marriage? You should be the happiest person in the world now!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hit women, but in my mind, I¡¯ve already slapped you.¡± After saying this, Shi Xiu wanted to head to his study but was stopped by Yan Ziqing.


    ¡°Brother, what¡¯s really going on? You¡¯re not going to tell me that you fell in love with her after she died, are you?¡± Yan Ziqing asked, looking incredulously at Shi Xiu.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I fell in love; I always loved her. My relationship with Shi Lan is none of your business, and let me warn you, don¡¯t come looking for trouble with me, you know the consequences.¡±


    Yan Ziqing, terrified by the answer, stepped back and collapsed onto the sofa.


    Because she dare not look directly into Shi Xiu¡¯s eyes.


    Mad, all mad!


    A woman who was dead continued to torment their entire family.

 Chapter 19 - Chapter 19: 019 Ultimate Revenge!

    Chapter 19: 019 Ultimate Revenge!


    Yan Shixiu merely took the documents. He couldn¡¯t stay in the Yan Family any longer, so he quickly left.


    The red wine must have been received, but isn¡¯t she going to come and say thank you?


    In fact, Miss Shi didn¡¯t feel she needed to thank anyone at all. Who knew her ¡°backyard was on fire,¡± and could still be in a position to give thanks?


    So, if she were to contact Yan Shixiu, it would definitely be to ask this scumbag if he had ever secretly flirted with any young ladies, do dead people have no dignity?


    Shi Lan always felt that she had a clear conscience regarding the Yan Family.


    Three years ago, the Yan Family was on the brink of bankruptcy, and Yan Shixiu was forced to show up at various social events. Back then, his scholarly aura had not yet dissipated and he seemed very gullible.


    At that time, the old Mr. Shi had passed away not long before, and Shi Lan smoothly took over the Shi Family business, for her, there were no obstacles as long as she willed it. So the female tycoon claimed Yan Shixiu, cleared the Yan Family¡¯s debt, and preserved their wealth and honor.


    Even later, when she refused various unreasonable demands from the Yan Family, she never felt she owed that scumbag anything.


    But the Yan Family, insatiable as they were, held a grudge against her ever since.


    Of course, this did not include Yan Shixiu. From the beginning to the end, he was clean, with his spine straight. Whether it was life after marriage or their matrimonial home, Yan Shixiu took it all upon himself.


    Afterward, he did not want to have any dealings with the Shi Family, starting a company from scratch. The profits of the last two years were sent to Shi Lan¡¯s account in one fell swoop, so Shi Lan couldn¡¯t understand him, nor see through him.


    As for Miss Shi¡¯s state of mind at the time, she couldn¡¯t comprehend why he¡¯d want to return it. ¡°I¡¯ve given it to you, we¡¯re married, why do you still want to return it to me? Do you only see me as a tool for borrowing money?¡±


    From Yan Shixiu¡¯s perspective, he was a man who abandoned literature for business, earning money to repay debt and provide for the family and wife¡ªit was all natural to him. He repaid the money believing that was what the Yan Family owed; he didn¡¯t want his relationship with Shi Lan to have been unequal from start to finish. Hence, there was always a divergence in their thoughts.


    Yet even so, Shi Lan never lumped him in with the rest of the Yan Family.


    She just couldn¡¯t understand, especially after her death, why Yan Shixiu would rather give up the Shi Family¡¯s wealth to take over the company she had founded. She was even more baffled.


    The wealthy businesswoman Shi Lan passed away at twenty-eight years old, never trusting anyone, but Yan Shixiu¡ªwas the exception!


    That was also why she could fall asleep beside Yan Shixiu.


    ¡­


    That night, Shi Lan¡¯s insomnia persisted.


    To avoid looking too haggard, Shi Lan got up at five in the morning to jog. By the time Sun Ling woke up and called someone, Shi Lan was already ready to go.


    Sun Ling rubbed her eyes and suddenly remembered what Shi Lan had told her yesterday, ¡°An Lan, you¡¯re suffering from insomnia, aren¡¯t you? Don¡¯t panic, I¡¯ve already placed the order and asked the store to expedite the delivery. Just hang in there. Or, shall I sleep with you tonight?¡±


    Shi Lan leaned against the door and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    By age, Sun Ling was several years older than her, but she was amused by her every day.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to go for the fitting early?¡±


    Sun Ling¡¯s attention was successfully diverted, and she nodded, ¡°Right, the producer notified us to be there by seven, and also, you¡¯re filming your first scene with Gu Chengyu today. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Miss Shi raised an eyebrow and retorted, ¡°Haven¡¯t you figured out whether I¡¯m a bootlicker or not?¡±


    ¡°And Tang Ze also said that you might be acting¡­¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Great, speechless.


    ¡°An Lan, a lot of people are watching today. You have to show them what you¡¯re made of. Let¡¯s do a good job and give that scum a taste of his own medicine, revenge to the end!¡±


    At that moment, Shi Lan really wanted to know, just how many narratives these people had created for her!

 Chapter 20 - Chapter 20: 020 No wonder they chose her to act

    Chapter 20: 020 No wonder they chose her to act


    On the way to the costume fitting, Shi Lan handed her phone to Sun Ling and instructed, ¡°I sent a private message to someone on Weibo last night. Today, help me keep an eye out for any replies.¡±


    ¡°Who did you contact?¡± Sun Ling¡¯s breath hitched, and she immediately felt like she was living on ¡°the edge of a knife¡± every day.


    ¡°No one special, just shared my thoughts about the character design of the secondary female role.¡±


    Sun Ling, somewhat bewildered, opened An Lan¡¯s Weibo and casually clicked on the messages, saw the avatar of the screenwriter from ¡°Smoke Beauty¡±, and gasped, but quickly calmed herself down. Perhaps the esteemed screenwriter receives too many private messages to notice Shi Lan.


    Don¡¯t panic, don¡¯t panic, small scene.


    Sun Ling felt that in these few days with Shi Lan, she had completely forgotten what industry norms were.


    Every day was spent insubordinately ¡°defying superiors¡±.


    Looking at the female boss again, she entered the makeup room very calmly, with her head held high and her chest puffed out.


    Fan Yan, whom Shi Lan was about to portray, was a fashionable and trendy heiress who had studied abroad, so the costume designer was very bold in designing her attire.


    Fan Yan¡¯s costume was mainly Western-style dresses, with a few jackets, cheongsams, and even a set of military attire.


    Shi Lan, bearing An Lan¡¯s face, was deceitfully charming in a dress, stunning in a jacket, distinctly elegant as a wealthy lady in a cheongsam, and strikingly gallant in riding attire.


    Afterward, the photographer arranged for a fixed makeup photo session.


    In her previous life, Shi Lan as a well-known hand model was not unfamiliar with cameras, and being a drama enthusiast, she had a natural command over performing. She had participated in world-renowned plays and had received considerable acclaim, but these were during her rebellious teenage years, and once discovered by Elder Shi, were promptly suppressed, hence, they were unknown to others.


    Finally, Shi Lan changed into a black riding outfit, her hair styled up, looking majestic and spirited as she went to the set.


    Today the crew members were highly alert, first because they were filming Shi Lan¡¯s horse-riding scenes¡ªthough supervised, they were still dangerous. Second, they were filming Shi Lan and Gu Chengyu¡¯s scenes together, and it was uncertain whether the sycophantic Chengyu would cause trouble today.


    Speaking of the play, ¡°Smoke Beauty¡± narrates a story during a period of war, where two major families, from being business rivals, experience turbulences, family destruction, and ultimately join forces towards industrial salvation of the nation.


    The core characters of the two families were the male and female leads.


    Since the drama¡¯s title was Smoke Beauty, naturally the female lead was central, and the story would unfold primarily from her perspective, narrating her legendary life.


    And Shi Lan¡¯s character, Fan Yan, was the male lead¡¯s childhood friend, whose existence served to propel the romantic plot of the lead characters.


    Shi Lan thought to herself that she was merely expendable both off and on stage, and though she eventually chose to turn away from evil and join the military as a nurse, this wealthy young lady educated abroad certainly had her own spirit, so why did she act as if she¡¯d never seen a man before, chasing after him?


    In the drama, she was the one overly spoiled, she caused the troubles, she disrupted the lead characters¡¯ romance, carrying the blame for the whole team.


    No wonder they had chosen her for this role.


    And it fitted the previous An Lan too well.


    Today¡¯s first scene was Fan Yan coming back from abroad, meeting the male lead at the horse track and realizing he had grown into an extraordinarily talented man.


    Shi Lan herself felt disgusted, a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu to Yiping.


    ¡°The look isn¡¯t bad,¡± director Tang sincerely praised when he saw Shi Lan at the set, ¡°you should familiarize yourself with the horse riding first. Once Gu Chengyu is done, he will come over for the scene with you. Your assistant mentioned you know how to ride, do you really? Don¡¯t overexert yourself just to save face, and later, when you and Gu Chengyu¡­¡±

 Chapter 21 - Chapter 21: 021 is just so-so

    Chapter 21: 021 is just so-so


    ¡°Director Tang, that¡¯s something you should discuss with Gu Chengyu.¡±


    Director Tang was at a loss for words as he watched Shi Lan walk towards the spacious riding arena just a few meters away.


    Sun Ling hurried after her in quick strides, holding his phone and chatting with an online store customer service.


    ¡°An Lan¡­ I paid the shop a hefty tip, and they worked through the night. The pillow will arrive tonight, and you¡¯ll surely get a good night¡¯s sleep.¡±


    Shi Lan hummed in response and glanced at the mount that the production team had prepared for her.


    At a horse farm that served film crews like this one, it was difficult to pick out truly fine steeds because of the cost. Shi Lan¡¯s previous beloved was a purebred from England worth millions. Now that Yan Shixiu had taken over, Shi Lan¡¯s heart bled at the thought and hoped that the cultured scumbag wouldn¡¯t ruin her horse.


    However, considering Fan Yan¡¯s wealthy heiress status, the production team still selected the most eye-catching one as a prop.


    As Shi Lan approached, the staff member responsible for instructions began to explain some horseback riding tips for beginners to her.


    At that moment, Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini had just finished a scene and were coming out of the studio. From a few meters away, they saw Shi Lan standing in front of the horse.


    They exchanged a glance, an unspoken understanding between them.


    Afterward, Chen Beini whispered to her assistant, ¡°There¡¯s a good show going on with An Lan, go film it.¡±


    In fact, the horse the production team prepared for Shi Lan was not this one. The horse in front of her was a newcomer to the stable, quite handsome but still very unstable in temperament and not fully tamed.


    Gu Chengyu and his company thought, if Shi Lan wanted to demean herself, then should she fall or get hurt from the horse, no one else could be blamed.


    ¡°Chengyu, you¡¯re up next with An Lan. How are you feeling?¡± Director Tang asked as he saw the actors coming out.


    ¡°Director Tang, I¡¯m fine,¡± Gu Chengyu responded, though in his mind, he thought it would only be fine if An Lan was unharmed.


    Because of the shift in shooting locations to the horse farm, many staff members were keeping an eye on the activity surrounding Shi Lan.


    Shi Lan approached the horse and looked into its eyes, thinking that although the little horse wasn¡¯t very expensive, it definitely had a wild spirit.


    ¡°When riding as a beginner¡­ be sure to never stand behind the horse¡­¡±


    While the instructor was busily imparting safety measures, Shi Lan had already taken the reins with her right hand, shortening them skillfully, and with her left foot expertly stepping into the stirrup, she jumped onto the horse in one fluid motion, under the astonished gaze of everyone.


    The riding instructor: ¡°¡­¡±


    Everyone: ¡°!!!¡±


    Following that, Shi Lan, under the even more shocked eyes of the onlookers, demonstrated very standard Western horseback riding techniques.


    The horse initially showed signs of rebellion, but before the crowd could see clearly, Shi Lan had already taken control and started to gallop around the arena.


    Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini were stunned on the spot.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Sun Ling shouted while holding his phone, his excitement apparent from the astonished looks of those around him, ¡°An Lan, you¡¯re amazing! Fantastic!¡±


    The surrounding staff members also started clapping.


    Seeing this, Gu Chengyu¡¯s face darkened noticeably, as he had never known that An Lan could ride horses, and not just ride, but with such elegance and grace.


    After Shi Lan had ridden around the arena a few times, satisfying her longing, she rode back, dismounted smoothly, and gently patted the horse¡¯s head as a sign of affection.


    The horse that had been wild moments ago now lowered its head and nuzzled Shi Lan¡¯s palm.


    The riding instructor looked at Shi Lan with respect and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite good at riding.¡±


    Shi Lan humbly replied, ¡°I¡¯m just average.¡±


    This is average?


    The riding instructor touched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed for underestimating Shi Lan.

 Chapter 22 - Chapter 22: 022 So strong?

    Chapter 22: 022 So strong?


    At this moment, the person in charge of the equestrian center finally ran over and said to the two, ¡°Why did you bring out this horse? This new horse, it hasn¡¯t been fully trained yet.¡±


    The equestrian instructor was also puzzled, ¡°When I went to get the horse, someone told me it was this one.¡±


    The person in charge glanced at the horse and then at Shi Lan, asking, ¡°Did you ride it?¡±


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve tamed the horse for you.¡± The female tycoon smiled confidently.


    ¡°That strong?¡±


    Shi Lan shrugged her shoulders and handed the reins to the boss.


    Afterwards, Shi Lan took Sun Ling to Director Tang and said, ¡°Director Tang, the person in charge of the equestrian center told me that the horse the production team prepared for me was not this one, this horse hasn¡¯t been fully trained yet.¡±


    Everyone knew what could happen if a novice rode an untrained horse.


    After hearing Shi Lan¡¯s words, Director Tang¡¯s expression deepened. Both were shrewd, and such matters did not need to be pointed out by Shi Lan.


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak to President Yan about this and have Huahai investigate,¡± Director Tang said.


    Shi Lan looked towards Gu Chengyu¡¯s direction and lifted her eyebrows, ¡°Director Tang, this is serious.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t suffer this grievance for nothing,¡± replied Director Tang seriously.


    Shi Lan, satisfied with the answer, then walked towards the shade of the trees.


    Gu Chengyu had already felt Shi Lan¡¯s gaze. It wasn¡¯t the usual adoration but rather probing, challenging, and even filled with deep disdain.


    Did she notice?


    Impossible. The matter had been carried out so covertly.


    After the equestrian incident, the way the production team looked at Shi Lan changed a bit, as she had substance.


    Plus, Shi Lan hadn¡¯t given Chengyu a second glance all morning, while on the other hand, Chengyu was the one who would occasionally observe Shi Lan, leading some of the staff on set to start believing that Chengyu really intended to stop fawning over her.


    Shi Lan¡¯s equestrian prowess, in the eyes of many, was a visual treat.


    When someone¡¯s character is highlighted, that person starts to exude charm.


    In fact, Director Tang was aware that most likely, nothing substantial would come out of the investigation, but such despicable tactics, due to the inability to find the perpetrator, could embolden the behavior.


    A bit of petty scheming was one thing, but now that it touched on the safety of actors, Director Tang didn¡¯t mind escalating the issue to notifying Huahai.


    After Shi Lan left, Director Tang took the opportunity during a break to make a phone call, then took another call while waiting on set.


    This call changed the filming schedule for Shi Lan and Gu Chengyu¡¯s scenes.


    Everyone had been waiting for Shi Lan and Gu Chengyu¡¯s scene together, but Director Tang suddenly announced, ¡°The script has changed, let¡¯s shoot the solo scenes first.¡±


    What does a script change mean?


    Gu Chengyu was feeling conflicted.


    But not having to act with Shi Lan was what he wished for. However, since Shi Lan joined the cast, his shooting had constantly been disrupted, the whole production crew adjusting because of her presence.


    When Chengyu returned to Chen Beini¡¯s side, he heard Chen Beini say, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a cause for celebration not having to act with her?¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ll have to act together sooner or later. It¡¯s annoying. I don¡¯t even know what kind of changes the script will have; I hope it doesn¡¯t get more disgusting.¡±


    The two vented within the production without any reservations; after all, these words would not leave the set.


    The production team also got to know just how much Chengyu detested Shi Lan. At the same time, they privately hoped that the script changes would eliminate Fan Yan¡¯s character. She was merely an empty vase. It was bad enough that she ruined things as the National Couple in real life, and in the drama, she was a malicious supporting character, truly difficult to like.


    But she had already joined the crew, how could her character be deleted?


    Upon hearing about the script changes, Shi Lan wasn¡¯t too surprised; this meant the scriptwriter had taken her message from yesterday into consideration.


    Gu Chengyu didn¡¯t want to have romantic scenes with her.


    So, she wasn¡¯t disgusted?


    Since Director Tang had called a halt, it meant that her hope for a character revision was possibly going to happen.


    ¡­


    When Director Tang reached out to Yan Shixiu, he was in the middle of a meeting.


    During the break, his assistant informed him of Shi Lan¡¯s close encounter with danger.


    To their surprise, Yan Shixiu immediately rose from his chair and rescheduled the meeting.


    Although he knew Shi Lan was excellent at horseback riding, he still had his assistant prepare a car and headed straight to the filming location¡­

 Chapter 23 - Chapter 23: 023 banned from the entire network

    Chapter 23: 023 banned from the entire network


    The assistant had been by Yan Shixiu¡¯s side since the inception of his entrepreneurship and was well aware that his relationship with Shi Lan was not harmonious.


    After Shi Lan¡¯s death, he had always hoped that Yan Shixiu would be able to let go of the past.


    He just hadn¡¯t anticipated that Yan Shixiu would suddenly take an interest in a minor actress.


    Investigating her, signing her, inexplicably protecting her, finding her a house, sending her red wine, and now, merely upon hearing that she had been schemed against, he had stopped a meeting that was already half underway.


    The assistant was puzzled; had the two of them never met before?


    He really couldn¡¯t understand.


    ¡­


    In the film base, the filming site of ¡°Smoke Beauty.¡±


    Shi Lan had filmed her solo part and a personal promotional clip. After finishing the afternoon¡¯s work, she sat in a chair, dozing off. After all, she had been kept awake all night and was not in good spirits.


    Sun Ling stood behind her, holding a small fan, hoping Shi Lan would get some comfortable sleep, as there was still a night scene to shoot later.


    When Yan Shixiu arrived at the set, it was already dusk.


    The set was bustling, but that did not affect Yan Shixiu¡¯s search for Shi Lan at all.


    Finally, his gaze fixed, Yan Shixiu noticed Shi Lan dozing off on the lawn, and he briskly walked over, his tall figure suddenly appearing behind Sun Ling and Shi Lan.


    Sun Ling turned around, startled, ¡°Yan¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shh¡­¡± Yan Shixiu gestured for her to be quiet.


    Sun Ling calmed down and stepped aside.


    Yan Shixiu watched Shi Lan for a long while before turning and leaving, as if his presence there had been part of an unreal dream.


    Sun Ling scratched her head, confused.


    Was Yan always coming to see An Lan? That seemed unlikely.


    At that moment, Shi Lan was sleeping uncomfortably, feeling hot and bothered. When she propped herself up, she vaguely saw the silhouette of a despicable man.


    But, this was a film set, right?


    The despicable man had taken over Huahai; how could he possibly appear here?


    ¡°He won¡¯t leave me alone even in my dreams; it really pisses me off.¡±


    Sun Ling didn¡¯t know what Shi Lan was muttering about. She wanted to ask, but Shi Lan turned her head and leaned against the chair, falling asleep again.


    Director Tang, upon seeing the distinguished figure suddenly appearing on the set, immediately rose from his chair to greet him.


    He truly didn¡¯t understand how a single phone call had summoned him directly.


    They had spoken over the phone before. Director Tang had a deep impression of Yan Shixiu¡¯s composed voice, but that was just on the surface. This man had taken over Huahai and, within a very short period, had gained control of Huahai¡¯s operations without causing any upheaval, swiftly and silently reshuffling Huahai; he was certainly no ordinary person.


    Now, they were meeting for the first time.


    Director Tang¡¯s impression of Yan Shixiu was updated once again.


    The man before him was extremely refined and handsome, but his entire presence emitted a chilling aura. Looking at him through his glasses, Director Tang couldn¡¯t bring himself to maintain eye contact.


    ¡°Mr. Yan, I didn¡¯t expect you to come personally.¡±


    As the film crew noticed the commotion, they too looked towards the new man in charge of Huahai, whose presence seemed highly cultivated and devoid of mundanity.


    ¡°The matter is already being investigated by someone I dispatched. When the time comes, regardless of who it is, they will face a complete ban across all networks. If there are no results, a warning will be inevitable. Director Tang shouldn¡¯t have to broach the subject; Huahai will handle it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking; after all, it¡¯s not a trivial matter.¡± Director Tang nodded in agreement. ¡°With Mr. Yan personally intervening, the deterrent effect naturally exceeds my own.¡±


    ¡°An Lan¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to see An Lan? I¡¯ll send someone to call her immediately,¡± said Director Tang, before turning to summon someone.


    ¡°No need,¡± Yan Shixiu intervened, ¡°I¡¯ve arranged for a hotel, and later, all the actors will go there for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I understand your meaning.¡±


    After Yan Shixiu finished speaking with Director Tang, he once again turned his gaze towards where Shi Lan sat.


    Director Tang followed his gaze and chuckled, ¡°When Huahai first mentioned signing her, I thought they were joking with me. I didn¡¯t realize she was a gem. This young actress is not quite as the rumors suggest.¡±

 Chapter 24 - Chapter 24: 024 is too abusive

    Chapter 24: 024 is too abusive


    Yan Shixiu withdrew his gaze, not disturbing Shi Lan as he hurriedly found temporary lodging at the hotel.


    The assistant saw this and was even more puzzled, wondering what exactly was his boss thinking?


    Yan Shixiu knew he had lost control, the impact of the words ¡°Shi Lan was ambushed¡± was definitely not any lesser than hearing about Shi Lan¡¯s car accident in Thailand, as if the image of Shi Lan¡¯s funeral was still vivid in his mind.


    Having lost her once, he could not make the same mistake again.


    ¡­


    Miss Shi did not sleep long in the chair before Sun Ling woke her up; there were too many mosquitoes on the lawn, and Sun Ling was worried that Shi Lan would end up with a swollen head from the bites during the shoot.


    ¡°An Lan, when you shoot the last night scene, I¡¯ll go fetch the pillow that the shop said they had delivered; I need to sneak over and get it.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Shi Lan replied, rubbing her stiff neck.


    ¡°By the way, An Lan¡­ did you know Boss Yan before?¡± Sun Ling suddenly asked.


    ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± Shi Lan was startled.


    ¡°Just now while you were sleeping, Boss Yan came over to look at you. He stood behind you for a while, told me not to disturb you, and then he left suddenly.¡±


    So, the shadow of that man she saw just now wasn¡¯t an illusion.


    Shi Lan was stunned for a moment, noticing Sun Ling¡¯s inquisitive look, she quickly denied, ¡°How would I know why?¡±


    Why don¡¯t you know? You¡¯ve been his human-shaped pillow?


    The first person to come to see you after your accident?


    Despite everything, Sun Ling felt there was something more to it, but Shi Lan¡¯s phone, which she sometimes kept, really did not have Yan Shixiu¡¯s contact information. The two of them seemed to have no interaction at all; just a strange pair indeed.


    After shooting the last character promotional film, Shi Lan was extremely sleepy.


    However, the crew notified all the actors of ¡°Smoke Beauty¡± to have dinner at the hotel that evening.


    Thinking of sitting at the same table with Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini, Shi Lan felt it would upset her stomach, but Director Tang had specifically instructed that Shi Lan must attend.


    Shi Lan went back to her room to take a shower and remove her makeup, then went to the hotel¡¯s restaurant with her hair loose and her face bare. An Lan¡¯s body was still young; even though she had stayed up all night, her skin looked fair and gleaming without makeup, fragile as porcelain.


    Sun Ling waited at the entrance of the restaurant, guiding Shi Lan to the main creative team¡¯s table.


    At that moment, Director Tang and two assistant directors were already seated, with the National Couple sitting to Director Tang¡¯s left, intimately playing with their phones.


    Shi Lan¡¯s seat was to the right of Director Tang, and to her right, there was another empty seat that seemed more like the head seat.


    The atmosphere and the situation were actually quite awkward.


    Everyone knew there was bad blood between Shi Lan and Gu Chengyu, though it differed vastly from what others imagined.


    Shi Lan, like a fawning dog, should have been jealous and sucking up to Gu Chengyu at various occasions. Yet, she showed no intention of doing so, instead displaying a visible irritation.


    She seemed to not even care about the National Couple. Chen Beini was dressed exquisitely, ready as if for a grand occasion. But Shi Lan? Completely bare-faced, not even wanting to glance at the couple sitting across from her. If there was one word to describe her attitude, it would be¡­ disdain.


    ¡°Director Tang, is everyone here?¡± The staff, noticing all the main creators were present, intended to remind them to commence dining.


    Director Tang looked up at the empty seat next to Shi Lan and shook his head, ¡°No rush.¡±


    The staff at the other tables kept an eye on the activity at this table, gossiping secretly:


    ¡°Speaking of which, An Lan really has it tough, having to watch the National Couple flaunt their love every day. Now they are even showing off right across from her. Moreover, everyone in the crew praises them as a match made in heaven, a golden boy and girl; it¡¯s just too much suffering for An Lan.¡±


    ¡°The National Couple is holding hands at the table now, isn¡¯t that deliberate?¡±

 Chapter 25 - Chapter 25: 025 How else can the National Couple show off?

    Chapter 25: 025 How else can the National Couple show off?


    Gu Chengyu definitely did it on purpose; he wanted Shi Lan to see his attitude and get her to back off.


    Chen Beini understood his intention too and put on an act, coquettishly saying, ¡°Chengyu, are we, is this really okay? Don¡¯t treat An Lan like this.¡±


    Far from letting go of Chen Beini¡¯s hand, Gu Chengyu gripped it even tighter, ¡°Everyone in the group knows about our relationship, there¡¯s no need to sneak around.¡±


    Everyone at the table knew that the National Couple was targeting Shi Lan.


    At that moment, the banquet hall suddenly stirred as Yan Shixiu, dressed in formal attire and accompanied by an assistant, entered from the lobby and walked straight to the main creative team¡¯s table, finally stopping beside Shi Lan.


    The entire table watched Yan Shixiu¡¯s unexpected arrival, becoming quite reserved.


    Especially Gu Chengyu, who still felt the humiliation from yesterday in Huahai heavy in his heart.


    But faced with this man who in appearance, aura, and ability thoroughly outclassed him in every aspect, he couldn¡¯t utter a single word.


    Staff members from other tables sent over their gossip-filled glances.


    ¡°Is that Huahai¡¯s General Manager Yan!?¡±


    ¡°Why would he suddenly show up? And sit next to An Lan?¡±


    ¡°Just now, I was feeling sorry for An Lan, but now with General Manager Yan sitting by her side, isn¡¯t this an immense honor?¡±


    Shi Lan only sensed a familiar aura and turned her head in surprise upon seeing Yan Shixiu; that was actually the bastard¡¯s seat!


    The assistant moved a chair for Yan Shixiu, who then sat down without hesitation.


    Shi Lan moved a bit forward and Yan Shixiu moved a bit back, but the distance between them was very close.


    One in front and the other behind, their positioning was slightly misaligned, but to those across from them, the two seemed to be leaning together, sharing an inexplicably intimate vibe.


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t feel anything amiss because in her previous life, she and the bastard were husband and wife, so there was no sense of personal space; she didn¡¯t think to act unfamiliar, but to others, the scene looked extremely¡­ bizarre.


    Normally, people instinctively keep their distance when a stranger is too close, but these two appeared so natural and familiar with each other¡¯s proximity.


    An Lan?


    Yan Shixiu?


    Two individuals with a vast difference in status and identity?


    Seeing this scene, how could the National Couple continue to show off? Who would pay them any attention now?


    Director Tang also noticed something and said to Shi Lan, ¡°An Lan, why didn¡¯t you greet General Manager Yan?¡±


    ¡°Hello, General Manager Yan.¡± Shi Lan had no energy, both sleepy and annoyed.


    ¡°Feeling tired?¡± Yan Shixiu¡¯s voice was cool, betraying no emotion, yet somehow making people feel scared and intimidated.


    ¡°Mm, just joined the group, not quite used to it yet.¡± Shi Lan answered listlessly. Had it been her former life, Miss Shi would have slammed the table and walked out in this type of situation, not giving a damn about any couple or director.


    ¡°If you need anything, have your broker raise it with Huahai,¡± responded Yan Shixiu, in an official manner that made things even less clear. Were these two really not acquainted? Not familiar, yet so close?


    ¡°Since General Manager Yan has arrived, let¡¯s start the meal,¡± thought Director Tang, suspecting that Yan Shixiu might speak up about the racecourse matter midway through.


    Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t move, leaning against his chair, so nobody else moved either.


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t pay attention to the others; she picked up her chopsticks, scrutinized all the dishes, and finally picked up a piece of pastry, placing it in her bowl. After taking a bite and pausing, she then placed the remaining portion in Yan Shixiu¡¯s plate beside her.


    What the hell is this? Way too sweet!


    She did this out of habit, but everyone watched Shi Lan¡¯s action in astonishment.


    Everyone: ¡°???¡±

 Chapter 26 - Chapter 26: 026 Is a certain banquet director... also tired?

    Chapter 26: 026 Is a certain banquet director¡­ also tired?


    What was even more jaw-dropping was that Yan Shixiu looked at the pastry on his plate and didn¡¯t seem to find anything amiss. One daring to serve, the other daring to eat, their actions were incredibly natural, which made the ambiguous atmosphere around the dining table escalate rapidly.


    Everyone: ¡°!!!¡±


    Yan Shixiu knew that Miss Shi was very picky about her food. To her, none of the dishes on the table were palatable. Shi Lan had always been fussy, and Yan Shixiu had always accepted it all along.


    At that moment, Director Yan knew the identity and situation were not suitable, but he was pleased by Shi Lan¡¯s subconscious actions.


    Around the dining table, dozens of pairs of eyes stared at the two of them, making the atmosphere oddly tense to the extreme.


    Everyone was looking at Shi Lan and Yan Shixiu, which finally made the female mogul realize something was amiss in the atmosphere.


    Initially, she propped her jaw, thinking about finding an excuse to escape.


    Now, she suddenly straightened up, looking around at everyone: ¡°?¡±


    The assistant director pointed to her side, and Shi Lan abruptly turned her head, only to see the pastry she had bitten into was in Yan Shixiu¡¯s bowl, and even more, it had been half eaten by the detestable man¡ªher embarrassment instantly surged by 999.


    Yan Shixiu measured Shi Lan out of the corner of his eye, wondering how she would resolve this blunder.


    Unexpectedly, the female mogul was very composed and calmly explained, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m very tired today and thought the person beside me was my assistant.¡±


    The crowd gasped, thinking only she would dare treat the universe-known presence of Yan Shixiu as an assistant.


    Shi Lan clearly was out of sorts, and her explanation seemed reasonable, but was Director Yan¡­ also tired?


    ¡°No matter.¡± Yan Shixiu skillfully responded, bypassing the issue smoothly, then he looked up, and just for an instant, everyone felt a shift in his aura, ¡°Let¡¯s use this opportunity for me to say a few words.¡±


    Director Tang immediately sat up straight, and the atmosphere progressively grew tense.


    The entire table and even the whole banquet hall fell silent, as if awaiting reprimand like primary school students, except for Shi Lan who continued to reach for her chopsticks, wanting to end this tedious gathering quickly.


    Yan Shixiu was used to it, and no one else dared to remind Shi Lan.


    ¡°This morning at the equestrian center, an incident occurred. The horse assigned to An Lan by the production team was switched. Had her horsemanship not been good, riding an untrained wild horse could have been disastrous,¡± said Yan Shixiu, his voice incredibly cold, sending chills down one¡¯s spine.


    His tone was tinged with fury, mixed into his normally icy voice.


    Across the table, Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini exchanged glances, inexplicably feeling their heart rates accelerate.


    ¡°I have already sent people to investigate, though there is no conclusion yet. But don¡¯t count on your luck ¡ª if it isn¡¯t resolved in one day, I can spend ten years. As for the consequences after it¡¯s discovered¡­¡± Yan Shixiu slightly curled his lips, ¡°likely, ten times harsher than my wife¡¯s methods.¡±


    Upon hearing the word ¡°wife,¡± everyone reacted briefly, understanding Yan Shixiu was referring to the previous head of Huahai, Miss Shi Lan, a famously ruthless figure in the industry.


    However, even though she had already passed away, Yan Shixiu did not refer to her as his late wife.


    Moreover, mentioning his wife at this time also served to dissociate him from his earlier actions.


    Earlier, Yan Shixiu only intended to tease Shi Lan and did not truly mean to trap her in a whirlpool of rumors and gossip.


    Hearing Yan Shixiu¡¯s last two statements, Shi Lan also looked down and faintly smiled.


    No matter what their relationship as former husband and wife was like, she had always admired, even felt proud of how the despicable man handled matters.


    ¡°I hope¡­ the production team¡¯s job is to make films, pure and simple.¡±

 Chapter 27 - Chapter 27: 027 Are they really not familiar?

    Chapter 27: 027 Are they really not familiar?


    Everyone immediately understood the purpose of Yan Shixiu¡¯s presence at this dinner today. First, it was to appease An Lan; second, it was to warn those with guilty consciences.


    Shi Lan did not feel that Yan Shixiu had come for her sake, after all, if it had been her, she probably would have handled it in the same way.


    Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini both found their breathing tight.


    Annoyed and regretful, had they known things would escalate like this, they wouldn¡¯t have chosen such a risky way to teach An Lan a lesson.


    They only hoped that Yan Shixiu, being an important person, would soon forget this matter; however, they didn¡¯t know that Yan Shixiu was a man of his word and he didn¡¯t believe there was such a thing as a perfect crime in this world.


    Still, he didn¡¯t show his calculations.


    Only Shi Lan knew just how terrifying this vengeful Scorpio could be when he plotted in the shadows; otherwise, Shi Lan wouldn¡¯t have dubbed him a ¡°cultured scoundrel.¡±


    This meal probably had everyone except Shi Lan and Director Tang eating with fear and trepidation.


    Shi Lan was eating poorly and feeling irritated, finally she couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and spoke up: ¡°Director Tang, Mr. Yan, I want to go back and rest.¡±


    Yan Shixiu knew she wanted to find a hotel to cook her own small pot, so he held back his laughter and nodded: ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡±


    If it were in his previous life, where would he see such a well-behaved lady?


    She always came and went as she pleased.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Director Tang also waved his hand.


    Shi Lan was finally able to leave the table and quickened her pace to leave the banquet hall, but as she was just about to step out the door, Yan Shixiu suddenly said, ¡°Wait.¡±


    Shi Lan turned around and began to internally curse the man.


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    No wonder the audience at the table thought too much; everyone always felt that the way Yan Shixiu talked to Shi Lan was different from others, especially that ¡°come here,¡± so intimate and natural and with a strong possessiveness. Aren¡¯t the two really close?


    Shi Lan took a deep breath, and now she could only soften up to ¡°Daddy.¡± So, she came back, bent over, and asked Yan Shixiu what instructions he had, only to see him take out his phone and whisper: ¡°Contact information.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Yan¡­ isn¡¯t that necessary? We¡¯re not really close¡­¡± Shi Lan was afraid of becoming familiar with Yan Shixiu and then continuously exposing herself; she didn¡¯t want to live so cautiously.


    ¡°The long message you sent to the screenwriter has reached me. Don¡¯t you want to change the character setting? For matters related to filming from now on, you can contact me directly.¡±


    What a perfect excuse!


    Shi Lan felt she couldn¡¯t find a reason to refuse, so she took out her phone and exchanged contact information with Yan Shixiu.


    Then, the female tycoon made a swift exit. It was hard enough living under a different identity, Shi Lan felt she had to let herself and the man leave each other alone, otherwise, just like in her previous life, the bickering would be too exhausting.


    Yan Shixiu understood her thoughts and knew that Shi Lan always wanted freedom.


    Having been a caged animal in the Shi Family for twenty-eight years, she didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with her past now. Yan Shixiu could grant her freedom, but he couldn¡¯t let go of her position as his beloved.


    Everyone at the scene saw the two of them whispering, but didn¡¯t hear the specifics, only knowing that until then they hadn¡¯t even had each other¡¯s contact information, truly unacquainted, even though they had just shared a piece of cake together.


    That¡¯s why Shi Lan, who was supposed to be humiliated by the National Couple tonight, unexpectedly shone at the banquet.


    Everyone had spent the whole night watching these two, who didn¡¯t even have each other¡¯s contact information, master the art of ambiguous flirting?


    Others didn¡¯t know, but Miss Shi certainly felt she was innocent. See how she was avoiding that man?


    Long after, the gossip-hungry audience in the banquet hall couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Are they really not close?¡±


    They should be¡­ right?


    After all, the difference in their status.


    And An Lan is Gu Chengyu¡¯s lapdog??

 Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: 028 The female boss still needs to save face

    Chapter 28: 028 The female boss still needs to save face


    After Shi Lan went back to her room, she saw Sun Ling unpacking a life-size body pillow. This was a full-scale pillow, measuring exactly one hundred and eighty-six centimeters in length. The photo on it, chosen by Sun Ling, was of Shi Xiu attending a banquet in his vested attire¡ªan exquisite, burgundy suit paired with gold-framed glasses. The man looked absolutely stunning.


    Shi Lan tossed the body pillow onto the bed and the room instantly seemed half its size.


    However, when faced with the actual person, she would avoid him at all costs, yet now, facing the body pillow, she felt utterly unburdened.


    ¡°An Lan, the store even included a chibi version,¡± she said.


    Shi Lan looked at the chibi-style cushion and thought to herself that Shi Xiu was never that adorable.


    ¡°From now on, only a designated person is allowed to clean my room. Find someone reliable,¡± Shi Lan instructed Sun Ling. A female mogul still needs her pride; having this get out would skyrocket her embarrassment levels by ten thousand.


    ¡°Alright, however, I heard from the on-site producer that your scenes are on hold and there will be more turmoil in the filming crew tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I know, I don¡¯t have any calls tomorrow, just let me get a good night¡¯s sleep,¡± Shi Lan replied. Since the issue about her persona had already reached Shi Xiu¡¯s ears, it was very likely going to happen.


    ¡°I had the hotel prepare a meal just for you, eat before you sleep,¡± Sun Ling added.


    Sun Ling suspected that the banquet food wouldn¡¯t suit Shi Lan because she had long noticed Shi Lan¡¯s pickiness and poor appetite.


    With both poor sleep and a weak stomach, how could her body possibly keep up?


    Tang Ze had never told her how difficult An Lan was to deal with in daily life.


    Regardless of what An Lan had become now, Tang Ze would always attribute it to that suicide attempt.


    After Shi Lan left, Shi Xiu did not stay much longer either.


    Once he left the banquet hall, the previously chilly room immediately warmed up by several degrees.


    Despite his scholarly appearance, he carried an intense aura of lethality.


    Upon leaving the hotel, Shi Xiu also tasked his assistant with a new errand, ¡°Prepare a chef specifically for Room 1117, skilled in homestyle and various creative cuisines, preferably someone who is also good at making pastries.¡±


    Assistant: ¡°¡­¡±


    What charm does An Lan possess?


    Why in the vast world is Yan Shixiu only special to this girl?


    On the way back, Shi Xiu wanted to send Shi Lan another message, but thinking of how sleepy she had been earlier, he restrained himself.


    Shi Lan eventually managed to eat some food cooked just for her, took a bath, went to bed, and finally felt secure leaning against the body pillow.


    Although the body pillow had no heartbeat, no muscular abs, no long legs, and no sexy Adam¡¯s apple, Shi Lan felt that she could barely survive with it¡­


    ¡­


    The next day, the crew of ¡°Smoke Beauty¡± received a notification about a change in the character of the secondary female lead, Fan Yan. Thus, the shooting involving Shi Lan was postponed by two days. However, this did not affect the shooting of the main male and female leads. The revised script would be distributed to the relevant actors in two days.


    Shi Xiu had just visited the previous night, and today Shi Lan had to change her persona. Could it be that some people wanted to add more scenes?


    The crew members had already started discussing:


    ¡°A secondary female lead with no significant background, how does she have the authority to make the screenwriter change the play? What tactics exactly is An Lan using?¡±


    ¡°I just heard Director Tang saying that the changes in the character of Fan Yan mainly involve emotional aspects. Could it be that An Lan wants to increase her confrontational scenes with Gu Chengyu? Is she planning to upset someone?¡±


    ¡°Playing up to one side while flirting with the boss, who could possibly emulate An Lan¡¯s skills?¡±


    In the staging area, Gu Chengyu, who didn¡¯t catch the other parts but grasped the part about An Lan wanting to add emotional scenes, had had enough of this manipulative woman.


    Cozying up to him while simultaneously flirting with others¡­


    If the crew really agreed to An Lan changing the emotional scenes, then he had nothing to hold back, and he would insinuate this affair on Weibo. Initially, he and Chen Beini joined ¡°Smoke Beauty¡± for its excellent production team, but now with An Lan stirring things up every day, he wouldn¡¯t mind leaving the crew.


    Little did he know that An Lan was not trying to add scenes, but rather to remove them.


    By the time this mess blew up, Gu Chengyu¡¯s face would probably¡­ hurt a lot.

 Chapter 29 - Chapter 29: 029 After all, bootlickers have no heart

    Chapter 29: 029 After all, bootlickers have no heart


    Chen Beini was also very upset. She and Gu Chengyu had just confirmed their relationship and had initially planned to use ¡°Smoke Beauty¡± to hype up their status as the National Couple to take their careers to new heights. However, an An Lan was constantly wedged between them.


    Now, with the new script not yet released, Chen Beini couldn¡¯t publicly complain. Thus, she could only vent to her close friends in the industry.


    Little did she know that one of her friends couldn¡¯t keep a secret and posted three Weibo posts in one morning, spilling the beans.


    @Edith: ¡°Here¡¯s something interesting. A friend of mine just became official with her boyfriend. The two are sweetly co-starring in a big production, only to have the team invite a bootlicker into the mix.¡±


    @Edith: ¡°This bootlicking drama, I wonder where she got the cheek to make the scriptwriter change her character design and add more romantic scenes with the male lead.¡±


    @Edith: ¡°The male party has it even worse, suffering in silence because after all, a bootlicker has no heart.¡±


    This friend wasn¡¯t an actor but a well-known makeup artist. Although her following wasn¡¯t as large as an actor¡¯s, it was enough to spark a whirlwind of gossip.


    Moreover, the term ¡°bootlicker¡± was particularly evocative, along with the other information known.


    Netizens quickly identified the three main characters involved in the incident: Gu Chengyu, Chen Beini, and the so-called bootlicker, An Lan.


    Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans were amused and irritated by the shenanigans of the ¡°Smoke¡± production team.


    The fervent fans of the traffic-celebrity started eagerly tagging the support club to confirm the authenticity of the event and hoped the official ¡°Smoke¡± account would make a statement.


    Chen Beini¡¯s friend, who hadn¡¯t expected the issue to blow up so much, quickly deleted those three Weibo posts, but Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans had already pushed the matter to trend on the hot search.


    ¡°Can ¡®Smoke¡¯ production please respect the leads and scriptwriter? What right does a bootlicker have to add scenes?¡±


    ¡°Can Tianwang Media not tame their dog? @An Lan haven¡¯t you made my brother suffer enough already?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m furious! An Lan deserves eternal blacklisting. If ¡®Smoke¡¯ production doesn¡¯t deal with this, I¡¯ll keep boycotting ¡®Smoke¡¯ until they kick the bootlicker out of the galaxy.¡±


    The fans took matters into their own hands, boycotting ¡°Smoke Beauty¡± and flocking to An Lan¡¯s last Weibo post to unleash a storm of curses, controlling the comments and dominating the space with a full-service campaign to brainwash passersby about just how disgusting the bootlicker An Lan was¡ªessentially launching a new round of cyberbullying against An Lan.


    ¡­


    The production team quickly got wind of the developments, and Huahai executed its first round of public relations. After receiving the call, Director Tang pulled the National Couple aside and scolded them: ¡°Chen Beini, can¡¯t you control your mouth?¡±


    ¡°Director Tang, we¡¯re all clear about who¡¯s right and who¡¯s wrong here. Chengyu and I are the leads, what has it become now? Are we playing supporting roles to An Lan?¡± Chen Beini was preemptive, taking the offensive with Director Tang.


    ¡°Director Tang, we have great respect for you and this production team, but I simply cannot accept the script changes,¡± Gu Chengyu chimed in, seizing the opportunity. ¡°Just as President Yan said yesterday, he hoped the production team would remain pure and clean, and now I return his exact words to him.¡±


    This time, it was Director Tang who was amused to the point of laughter, unable to help but ask, ¡°Gu Chengyu, aren¡¯t you a bit too self-absorbed? Do you dare say you¡¯re not letting personal feelings affect your opinion of An Lan? Who are you trying to be professional for? I¡¯ve said it before, the changes to An Lan¡¯s part are not additions to the script, nor will they impact your love storyline. The production is merely considering fleshing out the character Fan Yan. The script isn¡¯t even out yet, and you¡¯ve already stirred up this mess; do you still want to continue collaborating?¡±


    ¡°Just because you¡¯re popular, do you think you can do whatever you want? If I hadn¡¯t just spoken in your favor to President Yan, do you think this would blow over so easily?¡±


    ¡°Now that your fans are going around cyberbullying An Lan, do you think you¡¯re in the right?¡±


    But the truth was, both of them inwardly cursed: She had it coming!

 Chapter 30 - Chapter 30: I will never change even if I die

    Chapter 30: I will never change even if I die


    For this matter, Tang Ze had made no less than three calls to Sun Ling, instructing her not to let An Lan witness the cyberbullying scene, as it was literally deadly. Essentially, Tang Ze didn¡¯t want An Lan to star in ¡°Smoke¡± either, but what was An Lan¡¯s status? Everything had to comply with the arrangements of the talent agency.


    ¡°Brother Tang, this can¡¯t be blamed on An Lan. I saw the message she sent to the scriptwriter. She didn¡¯t want more scenes, she wanted to cut the romantic scenes and even hoped that the scriptwriter could enhance the role of the second female lead. She wasn¡¯t trying to be a bootlicker, it¡¯s the National Couple who are delusional!¡± Sun Ling couldn¡¯t help but speak up for Shi Lan, ¡°From start to finish, it¡¯s been the National Couple who¡¯ve been bullying people.¡±


    ¡°What a big-mouthed lead actress, garbage!¡± Tang Ze couldn¡¯t help but curse, ¡°This isn¡¯t our issue. Huahai knows how to handle it over there; you take good care of An Lan.¡±


    ¡°Brother Tang, sorry, An Lan woke up.¡± Sun Ling turned her head and noticed movement on Shi Lan¡¯s bed, so she hurriedly hung up.


    Shi Lan sat up from the human-shaped pillow, took off her eye mask, and lazily looked at Sun Ling, saying, ¡°Your phone call could be heard for miles around.¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°¡­¡±


    So, she had heard everything about the cyberbullying.


    Sun Ling was very nervous; she rushed over: ¡°An Lan, please don¡¯t be sad, don¡¯t do something rash like last time¡­¡±


    Shi Lan glanced at the time, two in the afternoon, neither early nor late, just right for an afternoon tea.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get up and wash first, follow my instructions, and prepare some pastries. For the tea, just replace it with juice.¡±


    Sun Ling looked at her warily: ¡°Are you really not going to do something drastic to yourself?¡±


    The female mogul sighed and smiled, ¡°Just for those two, or for those two hundred thousand curse comments? A person who¡¯s seen life and death, aren¡¯t these small scenes?¡±


    Shi Lan thought, her past life threats numbered not just a thousand but eight hundred; she had grown up accustomed to violence and brutality, so what really amounted to a trivial little schoolyard squabble? Sadly, no, the female mogul was unhearted, she even felt slightly amused.


    Sun Ling was skeptical, but seeing that Shi Lan appeared normal, she left the room with repeated glances back.


    Shi Lan got up, dressed up neatly and since her insomnia issue was resolved, she was in a good mood. She picked out an elegant red dress and applied exquisite makeup; coupled with beverages and pastry sent by the hotel¡­


    Perfect!


    Sun Ling looked at Shi Lan, feeling as if she were prepping for some kind of ritual before death, which made her even less willing to leave her side.


    Shi Lan, leaning her hand on the table gracefully, picked up a teacup then said to Sun Ling, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s shoot a video, put on a grand display.¡±


    Sun Ling was puzzled, pulled out her phone, and opened the video recording app. The weather being what it was, even without a filter, Shi Lan looked radiant to the point of ethereal beauty, especially her cherry lips, luscious and inviting.


    Sun Ling thought Shi Lan just wanted a pretty little video, but Shi Lan put down her teacup, started demolishing the pastries, and spoke into the camera: ¡°Heard that there¡¯re only two hundred thousand criticisms under my Weibo? You¡¯re not trying hard enough! But, even if you throw twenty million insults, I don¡¯t care. Does it affect me having my afternoon tea? Not at all!¡±


    ¡°I also heard that you¡¯re cyberbullying me because I suggested changes to character designs to the scriptwriter? Sorry, I apologize first, but no, I won¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°Lastly, saying I wanted more romantic scenes?¡± Shi Lan scoffed dismissively, then continued deliberately towards the camera, ¡°Wishful! Thinking!¡±


    After Sun Ling had recorded the entire video, she blinked, feeling both exhilarated and dumbfounded. Would this cause outrage once it was released?


    ¡°An Lan, should we really post this? I¡¯ll lose my job, and what about your public image?¡±


    Miss Shi was undaunted: ¡°Capability conquers all, and you need to get used to it, I¡¯ll always be like this.¡±


    Because the acting skills of a stage actress are never in vain.

 Chapter 31 - Chapter 31: 031 Super cool!

    Chapter 31: 031 Super cool!


    In the evening, as the sunset receded, it left behind a dazzling trace of brilliance at the edge of the sky, like the luminous tail of a phoenix, stunningly beautiful.


    Inside Huahai¡¯s president¡¯s office, Yan Shixiu was confirming the final version of the public relations draft.


    The screenwriter of ¡°Smoke¡± had sent over a screenshot of Shi Lan¡¯s messages at that time, and he thought it could be made public because he recognized Shi Lan¡¯s endorsement and suggestions as an actress. Therefore, he did not want others to misunderstand Shi Lan¡¯s motives and intentions. However, for the parts that involved spoilers, they just needed to be blurred.


    At that moment Yan Shixiu had only seen a copied version sent by the screenwriter, but now, looking at the original, he could even more vividly imagine the disdainful expression on Miss Shi Lan as she typed each and every word.


    Checking the sending time, four-thirty in the morning?


    The young lady doesn¡¯t sleep at midnight but instead works so hard?


    Yan Shixiu frowned and then called the screenwriter, ¡°Which part needs to be blurred? The PR department doesn¡¯t have a grasp of it. This message should be released by you personally, it¡¯s more appropriate.¡±


    After some thought, the screenwriter nodded on the other end of the line, feeling that Yan Shixiu¡¯s concern was thorough.


    However, no sooner had the two of them ended the call than the assistant knocked on the office door. Yan Shixiu looked up with a cold voice, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°The two main actors of ¡®Smoke¡¯ have started another dispute over An Lan on set.¡± The assistant explained while handing Yan Shixiu the video Shi Lan had posted, ¡°How does she manage to cause such troubles?¡±


    Hearing the words ¡°cause troubles,¡± Yan Shixiu sharply glared at the assistant.


    The assistant shrank back instinctively and quickly corrected himself, ¡°Sorry, President Yan, it¡¯s my damn mouth.¡±


    Yan Shixiu took the phone, watched the video, and afterwards, his eyebrows relaxed, ¡°You call this causing trouble?¡±


    So arrogant she could be plucked from the cosmos and you don¡¯t think so?


    Just look at what she said?


    You¡¯re still not working hard enough!


    Sorry, I won¡¯t change even if it kills me!


    And that last ¡®selfishly sentimental,¡¯ isn¡¯t that asking for a beating?


    Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans have cried, and his entire fanclub is hopping mad, nearly spitting blood.


    ¡°This¡­ doesn¡¯t count as¡­ trouble?¡±


    The whole world is now talking about the discord within the ¡°Smoke¡± team, and the project might go south.


    ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Yan Shixiu handed his assistant the two versions of Fan Yan¡¯s character design that the screenwriter had sent over.


    The assistant, not understanding, flipped through them and finally, his eyes lit up, ¡°This character design has been improved so brilliantly! Even though I have not read the original script, the character of Fan Yan, was originally a vase. With these changes, it elevates the entire story.¡±


    ¡°That was An Lan¡¯s suggestion.¡±


    The assistant paused for a moment and understood Yan Shixiu¡¯s point, ¡°So from start to finish, An Lan had no intention of adding any unnecessary love plots. She seriously wanted to discuss the character with the screenwriter. In that case, those messy accusations being leveled against her are truly uncalled for. An Lan posting that video isn¡¯t a problem, it¡¯s just¡­ extremely haughty!¡±


    President Yan was not surprised at all, asserting that Miss Shi¡¯s nature was always such.


    But he couldn¡¯t deny that he was in a very good mood at that moment because he felt flattered by Shi Lan¡¯s description of Gu Chengyu being ¡®selfishly sentimental.¡¯ Moreover, he could see that Shi Lan was paving the way for her future character, a female mogul reborn who still would not seek to please others.


    Bad relations with the public? Doesn¡¯t matter.


    Hackers hurling insults? Doesn¡¯t matter.


    Fans withdrawing their support? Still doesn¡¯t matter¡­


    ¡°What exactly did the two main actors of ¡®Smoke¡¯ argue about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all about targeting An Lan, isn¡¯t it? Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans are fiercely accusing An Lan of being a sycophant, saying she¡¯s doing all sorts of nauseating things, especially with that last provoking video, deserving of death.¡± The assistant explained, ¡°However, it was Chen Beini who let the cat out of the bag, creating such a big fuss. Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans played no small part in that. They¡¯re very good at shifting blame.¡±


    Yan Shixiu looked up with a meaningfully deep expression at his assistant who had completely changed his attitude, and suddenly asked, ¡°That influencer still thinks An Lan is into him?¡±


    The assistant nodded.


    President Yan, ¡°Selfishly sentimental.¡±


    Assistant, ¡°???¡±


    ¡°The screenwriter of ¡®Smoke¡¯ will clarify on Weibo immediately, Huahai Public Relations will follow up. Defend An Lan¡¯s attitude. Also, notify both main actors, if they don¡¯t want to act, pack their things¡ªleave early!¡±


    The refined and handsome President Yan showed no mercy when protecting his own.

 Chapter 32 - Chapter 32: 032 Confusing Award?

    Chapter 32: 032 Confusing Award?


    Not long after, it was just past 8 PM.


    @Screenwriter Chen Feng: ¡°I admire her boldness. @An Lan¡±


    The attached image was the private message Shi Lan had sent in the middle of the night, which included her insights and suggestions about the character Fan Yan.


    Apart from the mosaic parts, netizens could clearly see that the screenwriter had drawn red lines in some places and circled a few key parts.


    Shi Lan had said the following:


    ¡°Fan Yan has received quality education from both Eastern and Western cultures, her vision and breadth are extraordinary; intelligent women characters like her should be positioned as sharp blades.¡±


    ¡°A mature work encompasses love, family, friendship, as well as patriotism, national honor, and the dichotomy of loyalty and treachery. Characters¡¯ emotions should originate from their experiences, backgrounds, and fates.¡±


    ¡°Please consider removing the romantic scenes from Fan Yan¡¯s role, allowing her to have her own soul.¡±


    Immediately after, the screenwriter posted a second Weibo.


    @Screenwriter Chen Feng: ¡°The script has been amended, unrelated to anyone else, only for Fan Yan¡¯s character, looking forward to the new you. @An Lan¡±


    The attached image showed the first ten episodes of the latest script for ¡°Smoke Beauty.¡±


    Following the clarification from screenwriter Chen Feng, Huahai arranged for it to trend on hot search.


    Also, related entertainment accounts actively guided: ¡°The best relationship between a screenwriter and an actor is when you accept my suggestions and I give you my performance. @An Lan @Screenwriter Chen Feng everything else is irrelevant, looking forward to An Lan¡¯s brilliant performance in ¡®Smoke Beauty.¡¯


    Other screenwriters also issued their opinions.


    @Blade Fire Dance: ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of actors having demands, but of actors having none, learned a lot, improving together. @Screenwriter Chen Feng¡±


    @Screenwriter Lin Qi: ¡°So, what does this have to do with Gu Chengyu and his fans?¡±


    ¡°This screenwriter is truly bold, directly stepping on the uncomfortable line of Gu Chengyu and his fans.¡±


    During the day, there was a lot of fuss, while one side boycotted and reported An Lan¡¯s Weibo, and now the truth was out, it had nothing to do with them.


    Isn¡¯t that a face as big as a basin?


    Self-indulgent?


    Confusion award?


    Although at this time the netizens still didn¡¯t buy into the ¡°little green tea¡± An Lan, they were also displeased with Gu Chengyu and his fans for trying to pin everything on An Lan.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a loyal fan, just find it funny. Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans kept saying An Lan was changing her persona to fawn over their ¡®brother,¡¯ wanting to increase romantic scenes, but who would have thought An Lan wanted to remove the romantic scenes, awkward right? Hahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Has his fanbase shot out past the universe? Poor An Lan, she¡¯s been cyberbullied again.¡±


    ¡°An Lan had previously listed Gu Chengyu¡¯s merchandise on Xianyu (online marketplace), claiming she was blind before, so is she now trying to focus on her career?¡±


    ¡°Bullying An Lan because she has no fans, Gu Chengyu¡¯s fandom being toxic, shouldn¡¯t they come out and apologize?¡±


    ¡°Have the bootlickers really stopped licking?¡±


    Since An Lan had no fandom, while Gu Chengyu had tens of millions of fans, the disparity in popularity meant that even though the screenwriter came out to clarify the facts and made it to the hot search, the public space was still clearly dominated by Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans.


    Apologize?


    Nonexistent, since avoiding romantic scenes doesn¡¯t mean she won¡¯t add other types of scenes.


    At that moment, a casual like from Yan Shixiu, the new CEO of Huahai, caused a huge uproar.


    @Little Bunny: ¡°An Lan has no fans, so the rational voices of the public are drowned out by Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans. An Lan used to be annoying, but as a girl, she has faced one round after another of cyber violence, almost driven to suicide, and Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans feel no guilt but intensify their efforts? The brutality on Weibo sometimes makes me question life. #¡¯Smoke Beauty¡¯ Screenwriter Clarification#¡±


    It was this post that successfully caught the attention of Huahai¡¯s CEO¡­

 Chapter 33 - Chapter 33: 033 You really are trying to flirt with me!

    Chapter 33: 033 You really are trying to flirt with me!


    The day had been one of unparalleled chaos, and now, it was deep into the night.


    But the drama on Weibo continued without pause, one juicy story after another coming at a rapid pace.


    Sun Ling had been monitoring Weibo from dawn to dusk, infuriated by Gu Chengyu and his fans until Yan Shixiu¡¯s like caused an explosion across the internet. Her mind buzzing, she asked Shi Lan, ¡°An¡­ An Lan, are you really not acquainted with President Yan?¡±


    Shi Lan, thoroughly enjoying a late-night snack from the small kitchen and indifferent about the online commotion, knew there was a storm raging on the internet. To truly bring this affair to a close, she knew she would have to face Gu Chengyu in person with the new script tomorrow.


    ¡°We¡¯ve only met three times from beginning to end, how could we be acquainted?¡± Shi Lan replied offhandedly.


    ¡°He¡¯s helping you by liking your post without being acquainted? Do you know how Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans had the wind knocked out of their sails the moment they saw that like?¡± Sun Ling eagerly handed over her phone.


    Shi Lan glanced at it without emotion, ¡°Probably an accidental touch.¡±


    ¡°An Lan, look, Huahai has even released a PR statement clarifying that the request for character changes was with the agreement of the screenwriter and producer, and that it was unrelated to other actors,¡± Sun Ling said, her voice rising with excitement as she scrolled on her phone. ¡°They officially stamped that Gu Chengyu¡¯s presumption was unfounded!¡±


    Watching Sun Ling¡¯s animated display, Shi Lan figured Huahai would naturally want to quash any rumors of discord within the cast, but Yan Shixiu¡¯s like¡­ that was inexplicable. So, she continued sipping her soup while pulling out her phone, scrolling to Yan Shixiu¡¯s WeChat.


    The profile picture was a night scene of a street, vibrant and colorful ¡ª it hadn¡¯t changed in years.


    Shi Lan opened the chat and began to type with one hand, ¡°President Yan? Was it an accidental touch?¡±


    Not satisfied, she deleted it and typed again, ¡°Hello, President Yan, are you starting to fancy me?¡±


    That sounded too conceited. Shi Lan deleted it once more and typed, ¡°You¡¯re being too polite, President Yan¡­¡±


    What was this man doing, flirting with a widow like her?


    The angrier Shi Lan got, she was about to type, ¡°Scumbag, go die,¡± when her phone suddenly vibrated.


    To her surprise, it was a message from Yan Shixiu himself, ¡°Accidental touch.¡±


    A female mogul scoffed, crossing her arms, do you think I believe that?


    Yan Shixiu: ¡°Focus on your filming.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯re flirting with me, but I have no proof.


    What was even more infuriating was that, in her past life, even when they spent time together daily, the scoundrel had always maintained a frosty facade as if she was forcing a good man into prostitution. He had never flirted with her.


    The female mogul felt as if she were force-feeding herself onto a refined gentleman like President Yan.


    Now that she had barely passed away, he was flirting with others?


    Shi Lan: ¡°President Yan, please don¡¯t do this anymore, it doesn¡¯t feel right. A small-time actress can¡¯t handle this kind of attention.¡±


    Yan Shixiu: ¡°Shall I take it back?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    The mogul immediately felt like she¡¯d misunderstood.


    Externally, there was much speculation about Yan Shixiu¡¯s like, but indeed, there had been nothing between them. People tried to dig into their past interactions, but came up empty. In the end, netizens wrote off Yan Shixiu¡¯s like as an accidental touch.


    Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans were silenced by Yan Shixiu¡¯s accidental like. After all, as a producer and financier, Huahai knew the weight of their influence, but that didn¡¯t mean they acknowledged Shi Lan.


    As Shi Lan expected, regardless of Huahai¡¯s strong-armed PR, the industry¡¯s practice of elevating some while disparaging others remained unchanged; they still didn¡¯t take her seriously.


    Tomorrow, she planned to confront Gu Chengyu until he was utterly convinced, to slap the left cheek after the right.


    ¡°An Lan, the crew has sent out a notice. There¡¯s a script read-through tomorrow morning to go over Fan Yan¡¯s storyline changes,¡± Sun Ling reminded Shi Lan, who sat on the couch.


    ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m going to slap the new script right onto Gu Chengyu¡¯s face. Remember to record it all for me in 360 degrees with your phone tomorrow. I want to bring an end to this battle once and for all.¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°¡­¡±


    Having responded to Sun Ling, Shi Lan tossed her phone aside, no longer paying attention to Yan Shixiu.


    President Yan stared at the phone screen, at the few small dots, lost in thought even though he knew she wouldn¡¯t reply anymore.


    The like was just his way of letting her know amidst the turmoil that she had support.


    However, Miss Shi clearly didn¡¯t much care.


    President Yan sat back in his chair, massaging his eyebrows, and typed two words on his phone: ¡°Good night.¡±


    What level was a widower, in the dead of night, saying good night to an unmarried woman?


    After reading it, Shi Lan¡¯s composure exploded, scumbag, you really are trying to flirt with me!

 Chapter 34 - Chapter 34: 034 Dont go too far!

    Chapter 34: 034 Don¡¯t go too far!


    The female boss despised Huahai¡¯s flirtatious behavior while comfortably sleeping with a human-shaped pillow of him.


    However, with a brief ¡°good night,¡± Miss Shi Lan was utterly disheveled; she needed to keep a distance from dangerous individuals.


    Of course, that night, although Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans were ¡°suppressed,¡± even knowing that they had been embarrassed, they had no intention of admitting their mistake. Why bother when An Lan had no fans? They chose the easier target.


    As for Gu Chengyu, he felt even less guilty towards An Lan. He took it for granted; what could he do when An Lan¡¯s past was too notorious?


    Moreover, tracing the issue back to its root, it wasn¡¯t he or Chen Beini who had stirred things up. Even if Huahai decided to settle scores, it wouldn¡¯t fall on their heads. What¡¯s more, now Chengyu and Beini were in the same boat, and it was more than easy for them to pick on little An Lan.


    Miss Shi Lan decided not to bother with him for now; better to get a good night¡¯s sleep first.


    The next day, Shi Lan was energetic, bringing Sun Ling with her to the set¡¯s guidance center for a script reading as per Director Tang¡¯s request.


    Along the long table, aside from the National Couple, the rest of the actors were almost in place.


    Shi Lan found her seat, greeting Director Tang and a few others before sitting down.


    Director Tang leaned back on the chair, flipping through the new script, then lifting his eyes to observe Shi Lan. Despite the online abuse, there wasn¡¯t a trace of dismay; her complexion looked even brighter, unaffected.


    Looking at other actors on site, there were many misunderstandings and confusions about Shi Lan. They grouped together, even showing signs of excluding her. However, it seemed like she just didn¡¯t see it.


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t just an act from Shi Lan; she truly didn¡¯t see it, didn¡¯t care, didn¡¯t bother.


    Soon, the National Couple walked in affectionately, taking their seats right across from Shi Lan.


    Seeing this, Director Tang straightened up, looked at the new script, and said flatly, ¡°Since everyone is here, let¡¯s go through the changes in the first ten episodes this morning.¡±


    ¡°Hold on a second,¡± Shi Lan raised her head, interrupting Director Tang, ¡°Director Tang, might I deal with a bit of personal matter first?¡±


    Director Tang gave Shi Lan a meaningful glance, then stroked his bearded chin, and finally nodded, ¡°Five minutes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡±


    Having said that, Shi Lan picked up her script, and stood up from her table.


    At that moment, Sun Ling immediately took out his phone and turned on the recording function.


    Everyone held their breath, watching tensely as Shi Lan walked past the director¡¯s main seat, heading towards the National Couple.


    What was she going to do?


    Under everyone¡¯s astonished gaze, Shi Lan stopped next to Gu Chengyu, then in front of everyone, she slammed the new script in front of him with a loud snap. A few faint-hearted actors were scared nearly off their chairs by her action.


    Everyone: ¡°!!!¡±


    The entire guidance center exploded instantly.


    Why did a twenty-one-year-old supporting actress have such a formidable presence?


    Everyone saw Shi Lan place her hands on the table, exerting immense pressure on both Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini as she demanded, ¡°Could the National Couple enlighten me, has my character¡¯s romance been increased in the new script?¡±


    In that instant, the faces of the National Couple turned red, completely cornered by Shi Lan, and it was indeed exceedingly awkward.


    ¡°Has it been increased?¡±


    ¡°An Lan, don¡¯t you cross the line!¡± Gu Chengyu abruptly stood up, rebuking Shi Lan.


    ¡°Since joining the cast, I¡¯ve repeatedly made my stance clear, I am here to work, to act. You harbored unrequited feelings first, and then condoned your fans to cyberbully me. What, did you really think I wouldn¡¯t fight back? Now that my reputation is ruined, I don¡¯t care about adding a few more offenses. But as long as Huahai doesn¡¯t replace me, I have every right to defend my interests, have I added to the script myself?¡± Shi Lan countered defiantly and forcefully.

 Chapter 35 - Chapter 35: 035 Did you apologize?

    Chapter 35: 035 Did you apologize?


    Gu Chengyu pressed his thin lips tightly, refusing to utter a single word.


    ¡°Chen Beini, you were the one who spread the rumors, did I add romantic scenes for myself?¡± Shi Lan, seeing that Gu Chengyu remained silent, turned her accusation toward the leading actress.


    Chen Beini¡¯s mind went blank, simply because she had never imagined Shi Lan would really dare to be so confrontational, completely breaking the industry norms, paying no heed to hierarchy.


    ¡°No¡­ no.¡± With the scripts laid out before everyone, with facts staring them in the face, what else could they say?


    ¡°Then have you apologized?¡± Shi Lan challenged Chen Beini.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been cyber-bullied by half a million critical comments; does that not warrant an ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ from you?¡±


    Chen Beini, the female lead, was completely humiliated by Shi Lan¡¯s rebuke.


    ¡°I state my position for the last time now; I joined this crew to act, not to chase after you, Gu Chengyu. Don¡¯t be so self-absorbed, and focus on your character. The An Lan who once admired you has died in the emergency room. Please bring your professionalism and stop making the crew pay for your narcissism time and time again. Whatever grievances we have, let¡¯s settle it in the scenes we act out together!¡±


    Stunning!


    A warrior!


    Everyone on the scene was shocked by Shi Lan¡¯s outburst.


    Gu Chengyu, much taller than Shi Lan by a head, was overtaken with emotion, his eyes red with anger, but even in his fury, he couldn¡¯t dominate Shi Lan in terms of presence.


    After expressing her thoughts and doing what she had to do, Shi Lan turned and returned to her seat.


    At this moment, Sun Ling had finished recording the whole process of Shi Lan throwing the script and the confrontation with the National Couple, and with trembling hands, saved the video, putting down the phone.


    Gu Chengyu was utterly humiliated, nearly losing control of his emotions, wanting to fling the script and leave, but Chen Beini held him back.


    In just those few short minutes, everyone present had witnessed drama more thrilling than the script itself, and although they felt Shi Lan¡¯s temper was indeed explosive, they had to admit that in this incident, she had always been the victim. Furthermore, the changes made to the character of Fan Yan improved the script of ¡°Smoke,¡± making it even better. On this point, Shi Lan was in the right from the start to the finish.


    Director Tang watched with his chin propped up, not playing the peacemaker.


    Only when the three had almost calmed down did he speak up, ¡°An Lan is right; no matter what personal feuds you have, once you¡¯ve joined the crew and signed the contract, you either quit acting and leave directly, or even if your co-star were your archenemy, you still have to act well for me. An Lan has made her stance clear again today. She hasn¡¯t come for personal reasons, and she has been conveying this message to me these past few days. Now, I believe her. Seizing this opportunity, I also want to say for the last time, especially to our two leads, if you want to leave, let us know early, so I can inform Huahai to hold another audition.¡±


    Director Tang¡¯s words served as an ultimatum, echoing a heads-up given by Yan Shixiu.


    ¡°If anyone wants to drop out, you can leave now.¡±


    All present held their breath, and after lingering in silence for two minutes, Director Tang looked around once more and continued, ¡°Since no one wants to quit, then let our acting in the scenes prove our worth. In front of me, what measures you is not popularity or connections, but acting skill.¡±


    At that moment, Chen Beini, massaging Gu Chengyu¡¯s arm, said, ¡°Don¡¯t be mad, let¡¯s speak with our acting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be watching with keen interest to see just how amazing you really are!¡± Gu Chengyu, ultimately, could only threaten in order to save his face.


    Shi Lan snorted lightly, focusing her gaze on the new script.


    Then, she instructed Sun Ling, ¡°Release the video you just recorded.¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°!!!¡±

 Chapter 36 - Chapter 36: 036 Just die then!

    Chapter 36: 036 Just die then!


    If this gets out, what then?


    Just the part where Shi Lan threw the script at Gu Chengyu would be enough for Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans to ¡®assassinate¡¯ her a thousand times over, and moreover, it would usher in a storm of blood and carnage in the public eye.


    But Shi Lan didn¡¯t leave herself any way out because she knew clearly that this was an excellent opportunity to shed the label of a fawning sycophant, As for the fans of Gu Chengyu who wouldn¡¯t acknowledge her removal of the romance scenes, well, then let them stew in their own juice and concede.


    ¡°Really¡­ really going to post it?¡± Sun Ling felt her voice trembling.


    ¡°Post it. If someone else releases it first, it¡¯ll be too late to fix any misinterpretation, so might as well show them the causes and effects at once.¡±


    At this moment, Sun Ling¡¯s heart was racing, her hands shaking, because she didn¡¯t know where this would ultimately lead.


    But Shi Lan had a plan.


    In the end, Sun Ling steeled her nerves¡ªhaving already committed so many audacious acts with Shi Lan, she didn¡¯t care about one more. If it meant unemployment, so be it.


    While Shi Lan discussed the character changes for Fan Yan with the director and everyone else, Sun Ling hid behind her and used An Lan¡¯s account to release the video.


    If we¡¯re going to die, then let¡¯s die with a bang!


    Excited, Sun Ling hit the send button and promptly turned off her phone as if she were carrying a timed bomb in her hands.


    ¡­


    Since it was posted from An Lan¡¯s account, the video¡¯s visual impact shot through the roof, instantly crashing the Weibo servers.


    Contrary to Sun Ling¡¯s concerns, the netizens who clicked on the video entered with confusion and left feeling utterly exhilarated; it was sheer thrill.


    ¡°I want to curse from excitement, damn, this is way too thrilling, too fiery!¡±


    ¡°That second when An Lan threw the script, I nearly ascended from sheer pleasure. Last night, Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans kept denying they misunderstood An Lan and cyber-bullied her; who could have imagined An Lan would force the fans to admit their mistake with such a compelling revenge drama?¡±


    ¡°Top ten videos of the year, I¡¯m going to watch this a thousand times over!¡±


    ¡°Once a woman gets tough, it really can be exhilarating to the soul. @BeQuietAndWatch, come take a look, no charge if not exhilarated.¡±


    ¡°It seems An Lan declared her switch to the dark side even before joining the crew. Looking at this video, she really appears determined to focus on her career¡ªI¡¯m a fan!¡±


    ¡°So powerful, this is too exhilarating, who can stand it?¡±


    ¡°No manners, the second female lead putting up a fight, who gave her the courage?¡±


    ¡°To the guy above, which dimwit gave Gu Chengyu the courage to be so narcissistic? When someone alters a script, you accuse them of adding scenes, as if he¡¯s the center of the universe. Don¡¯t pretend to be a neutral commenter.¡±


    ¡°Real talent is revealed through confrontation! This is good for TV dramas; if actors can resolve their personal grievances through an acting showdown, the quality will surely skyrocket.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thrilled, definitely a new fan!¡±


    Sometimes, the psyche of the entertainment-loving public is just that peculiar.


    After the video was leaked, Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans went mad with rage, thinking An Lan, that little bitch, was nothing but a bootlicker daring to treat their ¡®brother¡¯ that way. But this time, they couldn¡¯t control the comments, because the whole nation was thrilled, and the ones at fault were, quite obviously, the National Couple.


    The situation unfolded in a very unpredictable direction, but surprisingly, after the video was released, it didn¡¯t lead to widespread bickering¡ªjust pure exhilaration!


    Still a bootlicker? With the script thrown away, that was history!


    And then, An Lan¡¯s Weibo began to regain followers, and at an extremely rapid rate.


    After the news broke, Tang Ze called Sun Ling thrice, but Sun Ling didn¡¯t dare to answer, not until the script reading in the morning was over. Only then did Sun Ling tug at Shi Lan¡¯s clothes and say, ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to answer Tang Bro¡¯s calls, I¡¯m having trouble breathing.¡±

 Chapter 37 - Chapter 37: 037 This is simply straightforward flirting.

    Chapter 37: 037 This is simply straightforward flirting.


    Shi Lan, seeing her fearful demeanor, took the phone and pressed the answer button.


    ¡°An Lan, you¡¯ve gained about two hundred thousand followers just this morning. Did you see it? I¡¯m a bit excited now, I¡­ I forgot what I wanted to say,¡± Tang Ze rambled.


    Shi Lan was irritated by his shout, immediately moving the phone ten centimeters away and disdainfully said, ¡°I have three scenes this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°You shoot! You shoot well! We¡¯ll speak with our talent.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not suspecting I¡¯m possessed?¡± Shi Lan seized the opportunity to ask.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s a ghost, it¡¯s a good ghost!¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    It¡¯s really not any good ghost, Shi Lan thought to herself.


    ¡­


    After the National Couple found out about the major uproar caused by Shi Lan¡¯s video, they were fuming. Luckily, this incident didn¡¯t cause much damage to their reputation, as their fans were good at making excuses¡ªGu Chengyu because he was annoyed by An Lan, and Chen Beini out of jealousy. With many fans, they could control the general direction of public opinion.


    Finally, as they exited the guidance center, Gu Chengyu, clutching his phone and suppressing his rage, looked down on Shi Lan from a high position and said, ¡°After today, we are completely clear of each other. I never owed you anything to begin with. From now on, our acting will show the truth!¡±


    ¡°Sure, we¡¯ll see what level you¡¯re at this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Gu Chengyu looked at Shi Lan with disdain, as he was well aware of An Lan¡¯s acting level.


    Couldn¡¯t even graduate from film school, played a few secondary female roles in dramas, and now she dares to challenge him?


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t pay attention to Gu Chengyu¡¯s contempt and returned to the hotel with Sun Ling.


    It wasn¡¯t that she was being arrogant, but the acting skills of a stage actor were honed through relentless practice, whereas Gu Chengyu was a popular yet inexperienced actor. He always had a foundation in acting, but he didn¡¯t have time to delve into deeper aspects. Hence, among young actors, Shi Lan had the confidence to dominate the scene.


    Sun Ling followed behind Shi Lan closely, but her focus was on the heat and comments on Weibo. Knowing that the video she posted was gaining fans instead of attracting criticism, she felt a relief as if her death sentence had been commuted.


    After returning to the hotel, Sun Ling went to get food for Shi Lan, but because she was too engrossed in her phone, she left without closing the door.


    When the hotel cleaner passed room 1117 and thought there was no one inside due to the door being open¡ªa professional habit¡ªshe entered to check if cleaning was needed but walked right into Shi Lan coming out of the bathroom.


    ¡°Hello, guest. I¡¯m really sorry, I saw the door was open and thought there was no one inside. Do you need cleaning?¡±


    ¡°No need, go out.¡± Shi Lan sat down on the sofa and responded.


    The cleaner apologized while stepping out. Shi Lan stared at the door for a moment, thinking that Sun Ling could sometimes be careless.


    When Sun Ling returned with food, Shi Lan told her about the cleaner¡¯s interruption.


    Sun Ling immediately apologized, ¡°I was constantly scrolling through comments, might have been distracted. I will be more careful next time.¡±


    It would have been normal for someone to enter the room, but remember, on the bed of the female tycoon, there was a human-shaped pillow.


    Shi Lan noted the hotel¡¯s food quality had improved recently and didn¡¯t feel like pursuing the matter further, but just then, a WeChat notification distracted her.


    Shi Lan glanced at it and saw it was from Shi Yan and Shi Xiu, she ignored it and set it aside.


    Mr. Yan: ¡°Well done.¡±


    As for the man¡¯s behavior of making unnecessary small talk, Miss Shi showed a look of disdain.


    It was clearly a forced flirtation, and the kind that left one unsure how to respond.


    Shi Lan decided to ignore him for a couple of days to let him understand her stance. After giving him the cold shoulder, he should realize she was rejecting any flirtation, right?


    Sun Ling accidentally saw the WeChat page on Shi Lan¡¯s phone and asked, ¡°You can ignore Mr. Yan too?¡±


    ¡°I would actually like to respond, but you tell me how should I respond to that?¡± Shi Lan handed her the phone and asked with a slightly harsh tone.

 Chapter 38 - Chapter 38: Is it not just a car rollover?

    Chapter 38: Is it not just a car rollover?


    Sun Ling flipped through her phone and suddenly saw a message from Yan Shixiu wishing her good night. He looked at her with a meaningful expression, ¡°Mr. Yan said goodnight to you, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Give it here.¡± Shi Lan took back her phone and then sent Yan Shixiu a message.


    Shi Lan: ¡°Mr. Yan, I just want to focus on acting right now.¡±


    Sun Ling caught a glimpse and clicked his tongue twice, ¡°You¡¯re so heartless and cold, even daring to reject the president of Huahai.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I might not understand, but I¡¯ve heard Mr. Yan is pretty miserable. He was a top student in scientific research before, and then a wealthy woman forced him into marriage. He could have been free, but I heard the Shi Family often causes trouble for him. But you¡¯ve refused, and at this stage, it¡¯s best to stay away from such matters.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Shi Lan seriously suspected that Sun Ling was a spy sent by Yan¡¯s camp, pinpointing her vulnerabilities so accurately.


    Shi Lan thought about it and withdrew the message.


    Mr. Yan: ¡°I saw it.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    For the first time in her life, Miss Shi experienced the emotion of guilt, and her embarrassment skyrocketed.


    Afterward, Shi Lan calmed down. Since the man had seen it anyway, there was nothing else to say; that was her current attitude.


    However, somewhere in her heart, it felt as if it was being tugged at by a thread, sour and uncomfortable.


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t reply further, and Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t send another message.


    ¡°Uh¡­ it¡¯s okay, it¡¯s just a mishap, right?¡± Sun Ling quickly tried to soothe Shi Lan, who seemed a bit more serious.


    Shi Lan put down her phone, suddenly feeling no appetite for food, and asked Sun Ling, ¡°How do you know about the Shi Family causing trouble?¡±


    ¡°My parents are in business and have dealings with the Shi Family from time to time, and that¡¯s what I heard. Mr. Yan gave up 10% of the Shi Family inheritance and only took over his deceased wife¡¯s company. Don¡¯t you think his actions have some special meaning?¡±


    The deceased wife, Miss Shi herself, didn¡¯t even know about this.


    Before marrying her, Yan Shixiu was a top student who always wore a white shirt and glasses, constantly buried in research textbooks, always logical in thought and speech. Speaking frankly seemed against his nature, and that was the fundamental reason Miss Shi had communication difficulties with him.


    ¡°And his own company, being a real business, competes with the Shi Family, and has always faced difficulties. As you know, after Miss Shi¡¯s death, the Shi Family lacked a real leader, and the uncles became restless, causing quite a stir.¡±


    The Shi family was capable of many things, and Shi Lan knew it well, but she had reincarnated and thus escaped it.


    She had thought that after inheriting her estate, Yan Shixiu had both fame and fortune and would soon move on and remarry.


    But now this pathetic man, flirting with an obscure actress like her, what was he thinking?


    Couldn¡¯t he have made better choices? Shi Lan felt disappointed.


    Because in this world, if there was still someone who could receive Shi Lan¡¯s sole kindness and blessings, that person was Yan Shixiu.


    Yet in this life, Shi Lan still couldn¡¯t understand him.


    But no matter what, she had already spoken her rejection.


    And just then, Shi Lan¡¯s phone screen lit up again.


    Mr. Yan: ¡°But since you withdrew it¡­ I¡¯ll assume you haven¡¯t thought it through yet.¡±


    Upon seeing this message, Shi Lan¡¯s mind exploded.


    Moreover, after her conversation with Sun Ling, no matter what, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to speak cold-hearted words to Yan Shixiu. This man was taking the hardships for her.

 Chapter 39 - Chapter 39: 039 Yan always comes to visit the set roar~

    Chapter 39: 039 Yan always comes to visit the set roar~


    President Yan could never have imagined that Sun Ling had inadvertently become his divine assistant.


    Shi Lan calmed down for a moment, and after her mind had exploded in rage, she began to get angry again, ¡°I¡¯ve been dead for less than a month and you¡¯re already flirting so openly?¡±


    This clearly showed that the dog of a man had truly never loved her in her previous life.


    So, Shi Lan replied irritably, ¡°I¡¯m going to shoot a film soon, three scenes this afternoon.¡±


    President Yan, ¡°I¡¯ll visit the set.¡±


    Shi Lan, ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    Sun Ling covertly glanced over their conversation, his mood becoming quite complex, thinking that it was one thing for An Lan to retract her rejection, maybe she hadn¡¯t thought it through, but to start getting angry after taking it back, what on earth was that about?


    After putting down her phone, Shi Lan regained her appetite, and on further reflection, she realized that even she didn¡¯t understand her own feelings towards Yan Shixiu after being married to him for three years.


    To say they were intimate, they didn¡¯t understand each other; but to say they were strangers, they did share a normal marital life.


    Putting all that aside, she admired the dog of a man¡¯s integrity, recognized his ability, and, frankly, was hooked on his cultured and handsome appearance.


    Shi Lan thought, perhaps all the discomfort and rejection she felt were based on the bond that had once formed between her and Yan Shixiu, as well as her own possessiveness.


    ¡°President Yan is coming to visit the set, wow¡­¡± At that moment, Sun Ling gave Shi Lan a very gossipy look, ¡°Think about it from another angle, this is actually pretty good. President Yan is how many times better than that Gu guy? Moreover, what President Yan can offer, Gu Chengyu can never match.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Shi Lan said.


    At that moment, a strong protective instinct surged in her heart, as the only thought in her mind was that she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to use Yan Shixiu by taking advantage of his emotions.


    It was akin to thinking, if I, Miss Shi, haven¡¯t done so, what right do you trash have?


    ¡°Alright, alright¡­ I don¡¯t understand anything, but I need to remind you that it¡¯s time for makeup.¡±


    ¡­


    In the president¡¯s office at Huahai, Yan Shixiu leaned back in his office chair, staring at the now dimmed screen of his phone, lost in thought.


    Miss Shi had just clearly rejected him, very cleanly, very decisively, but then she suddenly retracted the message, and what¡¯s more, did not deny his request to visit the shooting. What had happened in between?


    Others might not know, but he was well aware that based on his observations of Shi Lan, Miss Shi would normally never backtrack on any decision she made, right or wrong.


    But why had she changed her attitude this time?


    It seemed that visiting the filming site was essential. He needed to have a good talk with Shi Lan¡¯s assistant.


    Yan Shixiu knew that saying anything or doing anything at this juncture could lead to her misunderstanding, but he couldn¡¯t care less now, because he knew what Shi Lan had always wanted. If he let go now, she would really become like a kite with its string cut, flying to the highest point and then falling into a place beyond his reach, disappearing without a trace.


    Therefore, he forcefully established a bond with Shi Lan, even if she would misinterpret him as a scumbag.


    He couldn¡¯t guess that Shi Lan had misunderstood his lack of affection for her in his previous life, but compared to being a scumbag, this misunderstanding was obviously much better.


    ¡­


    In the sweltering makeup room that afternoon, Shi Lan sat applying makeup, holding the script for the ninth episode in her hand, the key parts of her lines already circled. However, the weather was too hot, and she felt irritated.


    Sun Ling stood behind her, fanning her, worrying about Shi Lan¡¯s upcoming scenes with Gu Chengyu that afternoon.


    Was An Lan, as a newcomer, really mocking Gu Chengyu, who had acting experience?


    Sun Ling thought if An Lan was really possessed, then that ghost was way too fierce¡­

 Chapter 40 - Chapter 40: 040 Its broad daylight, seeing a ghost

    Chapter 40: 040 It¡¯s broad daylight, seeing a ghost


    ¡°`


    Shi Lan had her first scene to shoot in the afternoon, which was Gu Chengyu¡¯s second scene, outdoors at the lawn of the Western-style villa belonging to Gu Chengyu¡¯s character¡¯s home, under a pouring rain.


    The scene depicted the end of the wedding ceremony between the male and female leads, with Fan Yan, playing the bridesmaid, walking across the lawn with an umbrella and discovering the doctor dead on the lawn.


    Fan Yan¡¯s character, after being revised, turned out to be the male lead¡¯s cousin and the female lead¡¯s best friend, whose main purpose for returning from studying abroad was to seek revenge.


    Thus, on the surface, she was a pampered and unreasonable rich heiress, but in truth, she was a cold-blooded, ruthless assassin.


    Her presence also enriched the main storyline because her main role was not to serve as a foil to the romance of the male and female leads but to be the catalyst for the rise and fall of the two families.


    She had killed the doctor, but she had to ensure that no one became suspicious; amidst the chaos, Fan Yan had to cover up while responding to Gu Chengyu¡¯s questions.


    The doctor¡¯s death at the male lead¡¯s wedding also unraveled many grudges from the past, marking the beginning of both families¡¯ decline.


    At that moment, Shi Lan, dressed in an apricot-colored jacket and skirt with a shawl over her shoulders, holding her script, was waiting for her scene on set.


    It had to be said that Gu Chengyu had something special that allowed him to stand out among the young actors; he was a naturally gifted actor whose performance depended on his scene partners and the director¡¯s guidance. It was precisely because of Director Tang¡¯s strict demands that Gu Chengyu¡¯s portrayal of Qin Zhenglin brought the character of the buffoonish young master to life.


    The scene just then was his wedding to Chen Beini, a marriage for business alliance purposes, in which the absurd young master Qin played a trick on the bride, sowing the seeds of enmity between the two families.


    The scene was full of tension; after the two finished shooting, Director Tang took the lead in applauding to affirm Gu Chengyu¡¯s acting.


    Shi Lan heard the applause coming from inside the tent, and the staff praising Gu Chengyu for his talent and promising future, but she was unaffected.


    Not far away, the water truck was already in place, just waiting for Director Tang¡¯s command.


    Sun Ling saw Shi Lan¡¯s makeup was off, and intended to find the makeup artist for a touch-up. Just as she was about to turn around, she froze.


    Because she saw Yan Shixiu, dressed in a black casual suit, striding toward them with his assistant, carrying an air of sophistication and handsomeness, yet with a coldness that kept others at bay.


    Sun Ling did not dare to look directly into Yan Shixiu¡¯s eyes and quickly greeted him with a respectful bow, ¡°President Yan.¡±


    Hearing Sun Ling¡¯s voice, Shi Lan turned to glance, saw that it was indeed the so-called gentleman but quickly turned her head away, unconcerned with his presence.


    ¡°Go ahead with your work,¡± Yan Shixiu signaled Sun Ling not to mind him.


    Sun Ling acknowledged with an ¡°Oh¡± and hastened away.


    Yan Shixiu approached Shi Lan. Without saying another word, he took two steps astray and stood behind her.


    Though one stood and the other sat without any interaction, there was an air of ambiguity flowing between them.


    Shi Lan was not at all uneasy, for the things she was accustomed to in her previous life couldn¡¯t make her feel constrained or nervous now, even if she tried.


    This left Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant somewhat astonished.


    For he felt that the way his boss interacted with this young actress was identical to how he used to be with his late wife.


    In broad daylight, he thought he must be seeing a ghost. With this thought, the assistant couldn¡¯t help but shiver.


    A moment later, Sun Ling and the makeup artist approached Shi Lan.


    The makeup artist timidly glanced at Yan Shixiu, then knelt down to touch up Shi Lan¡¯s makeup, while Sun Ling stood further back, adjusting Shi Lan¡¯s shawl for her.


    After having her lipstick and eyebrows touched up, Shi Lan couldn¡¯t turn around, so she reached back and asked Sun Ling for something, ¡°Water.¡±


    Sun Ling, who was a little away, didn¡¯t hear her; at that moment, Yan Shixiu took the water bottle he had drunk from, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Shi Lan¡­


    ¡°`

 Chapter 41 - Chapter 41: 041 Yan Zong, this is the film set

    Chapter 41: 041 Yan Zong, this is the film set


    Shi Lan took the bottle without looking and tilted her head back to drink, then passed the bottle back over her shoulder.


    Yan Shixiu took the bottle back, screwed on the cap, but this time, instead of handing it to his assistant, he decided to hold onto it himself.


    The makeup artist, who witnessed the whole process, felt shocked!


    What exactly is the relationship between An Lan and Chairman Yan?


    Why can they share a bottle of water?


    Probably unknown to her, this wasn¡¯t the first time. At a hotel gathering, the two had shared a piece of cake.


    Noticing the makeup artist looking as if she had seen a ghost, Shi Lan subconsciously turned her head and, when she saw Sun Ling in the distance and then the bottle of mineral water in Yan Shixiu¡¯s hand, she realized what was happening.


    The female mogul genuinely wanted to slap herself. Wasn¡¯t one lesson enough?


    Only after the makeup artist had walked away did Shi Lan lean back in her chair and said through gritted teeth, ¡°Chairman Yan, this is a set. Can we be a bit more discreet?¡±


    Yan¡¤Entitled¡¤Chairman: ¡°No one saw me drinking from that bottle.¡±


    Shi Lan glanced at Yan Shixiu with mixed feelings, ¡°Should I be praising you for being so clever now?¡±


    ¡°Next time I¡¯ll try to make sure they see it.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    There won¡¯t be a next time! Shi Lan decided to keep a three-meter distance from Yan Shixiu in the future.


    Chairman Yan successfully flirted and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle softly.


    At this moment, Director Tang and Gu Chengyu, among others, walked into the new set. From their perspective, Shi Lan and Yan Shixiu were talking and laughing together.


    Gu Chengyu felt compelled to go over and greet them, then stepped aside, not wanting to look too inferior compared to Yan Shixiu, while Director Tang started chatting with Yan Shixiu, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Chairman Yan to visit the set so frequently.¡±


    ¡°The beginning always requires closer attention,¡± replied Chairman Yan calmly, ¡°I¡¯ll treat everyone to coffee in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Then on behalf of the entire crew, I thank you,¡± said the director.


    ¡°Don¡¯t count mine,¡± Shi Lan interjected at that moment.


    After drinking that stuff, she would be wired until dawn, and not even hugging the real Yan Shixiu could help.


    Director Tang looked at Shi Lan, signaling her to not be inappropriate.


    Yan Shixiu wasn¡¯t annoyed and simply said, ¡°I know you don¡¯t drink it, so I¡¯ve prepared hot water for you.¡±


    Shi Lan wasn¡¯t fond of coffee but loved alcohol, something Chairman Yan remembered very well.


    Onlookers: ¡°!!!?¡±


    ¡°How do you know she doesn¡¯t drink it?¡±


    ¡°Where did you find out?¡±


    ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Why would you know?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just out of the hospital recently? Drinking coffee isn¡¯t good for you.¡±


    As everyone was staring in amazement, Chairman Yan added calmly and unhurriedly.


    People breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason, they always sensed something special in the air between the two.


    Annoyed by the flirting, Shi Lan took out her phone and sent Yan Shixiu a WeChat message: ¡°Enough is enough!¡±


    Chairman Yan¡¯s phone rang, he took a look and replied with a ¡°Hmm.¡±


    And then, the next second, Shi Lan¡¯s phone¡­ rang?!


    The looks from the crowd became more complicated.


    Unable to stand the atmosphere, Shi Lan took the initiative to ask the director, ¡°Director Tang, are we starting now?¡±


    Director Tang looked back at the set, nodded and said, ¡°Yes, we are about ready. Come over and run lines with Chengyu. He did quite well in the scene just now; you should learn from him.¡±


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t make a sound and silently followed behind Director Tang.


    Learn from Gu Chengyu?


    Is he sure he is qualified?


    After a few steps, Director Tang suddenly turned to ask Shi Lan, ¡°What¡¯s really going on between you and Chairman Yan? You¡¯ve known each other before, right?¡±


    The female mogul thought for a moment, then began to fib, ¡°On a desolate rainy night, I was hit by Chairman Yan¡¯s car. He has always felt sorry for me, so he¡¯s been looking after me a bit, nothing more.¡±

 Chapter 42 - Chapter 42: 042 Heavy Bomb

    Chapter 42: 042 Heavy Bomb


    ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Director Tang suddenly realized and decided to put the matter aside for now, ¡°Do you have a problem acting opposite Chengyu?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Shi Lan countered.


    At this moment, Gu Chengyu, dressed in a Western groom¡¯s attire due to continuity with the previous scene, only needed a touch-up on his makeup. After the touch-up, he stood beside Shi Lan, clearly distracted. There were unresolved issues between them, making the cooperation somewhat forced.


    ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s run through it once. I don¡¯t expect much from your interaction; just grind it out. This afternoon I¡¯ll let you freely have NGs.¡± Director Tang saw there was no communication between the two and didn¡¯t force it. Sometimes, an actor¡¯s mood isn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing, ¡°Let¡¯s start with your solo part, An Lan.¡±


    After the makeup artist touched up her makeup again, Shi Lan passed the script to the approaching Sun Ling.


    Gu Chengyu stood aside with his arms crossed, chin up, thinking about the praise Director Tang had just given him, hoping that stupid woman heard it.


    Overestimating yourself, let¡¯s see how you NG.


    The props team set up the props, and Shi Lan precisely found her mark.


    As Director Tang sat down, he was startled to see Shi Lan in the camera frame.


    It wasn¡¯t unusual for actors to find their mark and position, but experienced actors understand composition and how to give directors room to work.


    It was unclear whether Shi Lan¡¯s moment just then was due to coincidence or her mature acting skills.


    Of course, given her age, the director tended to think it was the former.


    Under the scene, torrential rain poured down, with Fan Yan kneeling next to a body mixed with blood and rain.


    Seeing that Shi Lan was ready, the scene crew began the clapperboard.


    Suddenly, the set became eerily silent, with only the sound of the rain.


    In the frame, Fan Yan knelt by the body, first checking the doctor¡¯s body, then carefully shaking his arm a few times. Seeing no response, she reached out to check his breath and finding the doctor had passed away, her body fell backwards. In her panic, she scrambled to escape, losing one of her heels as it stuck in the grass.


    ¡°Come¡­ someone¡­ someone help!¡±


    Fan Yan looked around, and as she raised her hand, noticed the blood on it, increasing her panic as she tried to crawl out of the grass. Due to her nerves and fright, she almost lost her voice, ¡°Is anyone¡­ there¡­¡±


    After watching this part, Director Tang had to admit he was incredibly shocked.


    The scene with Fan Yan was not easy to portray; any mishandling of the emotional aspects could make it feel chaotic. However, her performance was orderly.


    From the tension of discovering the doctor in a pool of blood, to the panic of checking if the doctor was alive, to the terror of realizing he was dead, Shi Lan maintained detailed handling and emotional progression at every point, especially when she kicked off her heels in her panic and became nearly voiceless from fear, impressing Director Tang with her solid acting.


    The other crew members were also stunned by Shi Lan¡¯s flawless performance.


    If Gu Chengyu¡¯s performance was a flight of talent, then Shi Lan¡¯s was so mature it seemed effortless.


    She even controlled the scene to such a fine detail, making it hard to find fault.


    ¡°Good!¡± Director Tang called cut and, as the crew went to help Shi Lan up, he excitedly asked, ¡°An Lan, did you secretly take acting classes?¡±


    Shi Lan glanced at Gu Chengyu and replied with two words, ¡°Guess?¡±


    ¡°You did, didn¡¯t you? Definitely did!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shi Lan responded again, her voice soft and somewhat indifferent.


    Then, casting a glance at Gu Chengyu, she dropped a bombshell, ¡°That is¡­ I just acted in a play when I was bored.¡±


    Everyone: ¡°!!!¡±

 Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: 043 Rays of light

    Chapter 43: 043 Rays of light


    ¡°Really? Is this really happening?¡± Director Tang suddenly got excited.


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯s fake, just teasing you. I¡¯m just a minor actor; how could I perform in a play?¡± Shi Lan said with a laugh.


    However, for some reason, even though Shi Lan denied it, many of the crew members felt inexplicably that it was true, and she was just being modest.


    Otherwise, how could such a young actor in her early twenties have such detailed acting skills? It was truly surprising.


    In her previous life, Shi Lan really loved stage plays and had even achieved some acclaim.


    But now she was An Lan, a minor actor with no experience in stage plays. It was better to keep such information ambiguous; otherwise, hackers might seize on it endlessly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be modest, your attention to detail is on par with a stage actor,¡± Director Tang gave her high praise.


    Gu Chengyu stood silently on the sidelines, unable to utter a single word.


    Because truly powerful things shine brightly.


    The woman before him was completely different from the An Lan he had known before.


    Not far away, Yan Shixiu had intended to chat with Sun Ling, but without realizing it, he too was drawn into Shi Lan¡¯s performance.


    Miss Shi¡¯s knowledge in her previous life was vast due to the strict training of the Shi Family; she was proficient in many things, including being fluent in four languages.


    Horse riding, diving, painting, and skiing were all additional skills he had seen her perform.


    Furthermore, Yan Shixiu was not surprised that Shi Lan knew how to find the camera, having been a famous hand model in her previous life. However, he didn¡¯t know that she could also act.


    It seemed he didn¡¯t know Shi Lan as well as he had thought.


    And the comment from Shi Lan that she had acted in plays during her previous life¡¯s moments of boredom was absolutely true.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the props team was preparing for the second half of the scene.


    ¡°Come on, Chengyu, it¡¯s your turn now,¡± Director Tang wanted to see what kind of sparks would fly between the two without them interacting directly.


    Gu Chengyu walked over to Director Tang¡¯s side, but he dared not look into Shi Lan¡¯s eyes.


    Shi Lan proved herself and unapologetically said to Gu Chengyu while getting her makeup touched up, ¡°I know I¡¯m excellent; you don¡¯t need to feel insecure.¡±


    Hearing Shi Lan¡¯s fierce words, Director Tang did not stop her; instead, he observed that the look on Gu Chengyu¡¯s face had shifted from disdain to bewilderment.


    ¡°Come¡­ let¡¯s take it from the top,¡± ordered Director Tang.


    Shi Lan asked Sun Ling to step back with a towel, then returned to the state where she had fallen to the ground.


    The rain continued as Gu Chengyu, playing a wealthy young master, was seeing off guests at the door when he heard a faint cry and immediately rushed to the side flower bed where he found Fan Yan.


    ¡°Fan Yan, what happened?¡±


    Shi Lan quickly got into character; in the moment she turned her head, she was no longer the frivolous actor from before but a terrified Fan Yan who had stumbled upon a murder.


    Such speed in getting into character astonished Gu Chengyu.


    In the camera, Fan Yan immediately grasped Qin Zhenglin¡¯s arm, turned her ashen face toward the doctor¡¯s corpse, her expression filled with terror, and because of the rain, her body began to involuntarily tremble.


    Seeing this scene, Director Tang thought, it was really all in the details.


    At that moment, it should have been Qin Zhenglin¡¯s turn to react, but Gu Chengyu¡¯s mind went blank, and he even forgot his lines.


    ¡°Cut!¡± shouted Director Tang. ¡°Gu Chengyu, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Director Tang, I couldn¡¯t get into it,¡± Gu Chengyu released Shi Lan and apologized to Director Tang.


    Shi Lan was too strong, and he couldn¡¯t keep up.


    Gu Chengyu wiped the droplets off his face and suddenly realized he didn¡¯t know An Lan at all.


    Moreover, the way Shi Lan had pushed him away without hesitation left him feeling empty in both his hands and heart.


    ¡°We had a good scene going, and now you can¡¯t even react?¡± Director Tang grunted, ¡°Adjust immediately.¡±

 Chapter 44 - Chapter 44: 044 Who asked him?

    Chapter 44: 044 Who asked him?


    Seeing Shi Lan get up, Sun Ling initially wanted to approach, but Shi Lan waved her off, implying that it was better to let the makeup artist handle the cleanup rather than drying and wetting again.


    Sun Ling withdrew the towel, revealing two mobile phones she was clutching in her hand.


    Yan Shixiu glanced down and began to ask Sun Ling, ¡°You also saw An Lan¡¯s messages?¡±


    Startled by the question, Sun Ling quickly turned around to answer, ¡°No¡­ no, Mr. Yan, I don¡¯t look at An Lan¡¯s private messages.¡±


    Of course, she dared not admit she knew about Shi Lan and Yan Shixiu¡¯s WeChat conversation.


    ¡°What were you talking about when I was messaging An Lan at noon yesterday?¡± Yan Shixiu clearly didn¡¯t believe her.


    Recalling the gossip she mentioned about Yan Shixiu and the wealthy woman, Sun Ling felt very guilty, but she dared not lie to Yan Shixiu because she always felt that the inscrutable man before her could see right through people, and if she lied, the consequences would be dire.


    ¡°That¡­ we talked briefly about the trouble the Shi Family was giving you,¡± Sun Ling skillfully replied, thereby linking Shi Lan¡¯s actions yesterday.


    So, it was the issue with the Shi Family causing trouble that worked wonders??making the Miss Shi feel less inclined to reject him?


    Indeed, she, all nonchalant, left everything to him; apparently, Miss Shi wasn¡¯t as confident as she had imagined.


    However, Yan Shixiu had finally found a way to make Miss Shi unable to refuse.


    Seeing no reaction from Yan Shixiu, Sun Ling only dared to sneak a peek at him. A mere gesture from Yan Shixiu was enough to terrify her: ¡°That¡­ Mr. Yan, we didn¡¯t mean to gossip about your family matters purposefully.¡±


    Mr. Yan placed his right hand back in his pocket, looked down at Sun Ling, and said, ¡°Find time to work on your courage; otherwise, one heart may not be enough.¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°¡­¡±


    For some reason, Sun Ling found a sense of affirmation with Yan Shixiu, nodding incessantly??in just a few short days, she felt as if she had gone through life and death.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving; tell her I will message her.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Yan, have a safe trip.¡± Sun Ling joyfully watched Yan Shixiu leave, completely unaware of how ambiguous the private communication between Yan Shixiu and Shi Lan actually was.


    As Gu Chengyu adjusted, Shi Lan glanced towards the man, only to find that her seat next to him was already empty.


    Seeing Shi Lan¡¯s gaze, Sun Ling hurried over and said, ¡°Mr. Yan left; he asked me to tell you that he will message you.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Who asked for his message?


    And if you had to say it, why not keep your voice down and not let everyone around hear?


    Director Tang was explaining the scene to Gu Chengyu, unphased to hear that Yan Shixiu would be messaging Shi Lan, as he already knew about the ¡°collision and the collided¡± relationship between the two.


    Yet Gu Chengyu felt extremely uncomfortable.


    ¡°Gu Chengyu, remember what I just told you; your rival on screen doesn¡¯t allow for your sluggish entry into character. Let¡¯s take it from the top.¡±


    Gu Chengyu looked towards Shi Lan, who was flipping through the script. At that moment, the costume-changed Chen Beini had also arrived on set. Unaware of what had happened, she purposely hugged her boyfriend before the shoot began to encourage him: ¡°Chengyu, you¡¯re the best.¡±


    Chen Beini wanted to provoke Shi Lan, yet there was no reaction from her.


    ¡°Come on, once again!¡± urged Director Tang.


    ¡°After we finish here, I have some gossip for you from the hotel,¡± Chen Beini whispered to Gu Chengyu, glancing towards Shi Lan.

 Chapter 45 - Chapter 44: 044 Who asked him?

    Chapter 44: 044 Who asked him?


    Seeing Shi Lan get up, Sun Ling initially wanted to approach, but Shi Lan waved her off, implying that it was better to let the makeup artist handle the cleanup rather than drying and wetting again.


    Sun Ling withdrew the towel, revealing two mobile phones she was clutching in her hand.


    Yan Shixiu glanced down and began to ask Sun Ling, ¡°You also saw An Lan¡¯s messages?¡±


    Startled by the question, Sun Ling quickly turned around to answer, ¡°No¡­ no, Mr. Yan, I don¡¯t look at An Lan¡¯s private messages.¡±


    Of course, she dared not admit she knew about Shi Lan and Yan Shixiu¡¯s WeChat conversation.


    ¡°What were you talking about when I was messaging An Lan at noon yesterday?¡± Yan Shixiu clearly didn¡¯t believe her.


    Recalling the gossip she mentioned about Yan Shixiu and the wealthy woman, Sun Ling felt very guilty, but she dared not lie to Yan Shixiu because she always felt that the inscrutable man before her could see right through people, and if she lied, the consequences would be dire.


    ¡°That¡­ we talked briefly about the trouble the Shi Family was giving you,¡± Sun Ling skillfully replied, thereby linking Shi Lan¡¯s actions yesterday.


    So, it was the issue with the Shi Family causing trouble that worked wonders??making the Miss Shi feel less inclined to reject him?


    Indeed, she, all nonchalant, left everything to him; apparently, Miss Shi wasn¡¯t as confident as she had imagined.


    However, Yan Shixiu had finally found a way to make Miss Shi unable to refuse.


    Seeing no reaction from Yan Shixiu, Sun Ling only dared to sneak a peek at him. A mere gesture from Yan Shixiu was enough to terrify her: ¡°That¡­ Mr. Yan, we didn¡¯t mean to gossip about your family matters purposefully.¡±


    Mr. Yan placed his right hand back in his pocket, looked down at Sun Ling, and said, ¡°Find time to work on your courage; otherwise, one heart may not be enough.¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°¡­¡±


    For some reason, Sun Ling found a sense of affirmation with Yan Shixiu, nodding incessantly??in just a few short days, she felt as if she had gone through life and death.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving; tell her I will message her.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mr. Yan, have a safe trip.¡± Sun Ling joyfully watched Yan Shixiu leave, completely unaware of how ambiguous the private communication between Yan Shixiu and Shi Lan actually was.


    As Gu Chengyu adjusted, Shi Lan glanced towards the man, only to find that her seat next to him was already empty.


    Seeing Shi Lan¡¯s gaze, Sun Ling hurried over and said, ¡°Mr. Yan left; he asked me to tell you that he will message you.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Who asked for his message?


    And if you had to say it, why not keep your voice down and not let everyone around hear?


    Director Tang was explaining the scene to Gu Chengyu, unphased to hear that Yan Shixiu would be messaging Shi Lan, as he already knew about the ¡°collision and the collided¡± relationship between the two.


    Yet Gu Chengyu felt extremely uncomfortable.


    ¡°Gu Chengyu, remember what I just told you; your rival on screen doesn¡¯t allow for your sluggish entry into character. Let¡¯s take it from the top.¡±


    Gu Chengyu looked towards Shi Lan, who was flipping through the script. At that moment, the costume-changed Chen Beini had also arrived on set. Unaware of what had happened, she purposely hugged her boyfriend before the shoot began to encourage him: ¡°Chengyu, you¡¯re the best.¡±


    Chen Beini wanted to provoke Shi Lan, yet there was no reaction from her.


    ¡°Come on, once again!¡± urged Director Tang.


    ¡°After we finish here, I have some gossip for you from the hotel,¡± Chen Beini whispered to Gu Chengyu, glancing towards Shi Lan.

 Chapter 46 - Chapter 45: 045 But do it in private?

    Chapter 45: 045 But do it in private?


    The second take began, and Shi Lan¡¯s state differed from before; she added a movement. When Gu Chengyu helped her up, she had a very distinct lift of her head.


    In the midst of her panic, upon seeing her relatives and friends, she would have an emotional pause.


    For instance, she would feel aggrieved upon seeing a lover, hostile towards an enemy, and at a loss when facing a rival.


    It was also because of this pause that it became much easier for Gu Chengyu to immerse into his role.


    Seeing this, Director Tang immediately slapped his thigh, ¡°She can actually adjust her acting according to her partner¡¯s condition. Brilliant!¡±


    In the scene:


    ¡°Fan Yan, what happened?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Fan Yan was very flustered, pointing to the exit she had just come from, then to the umbrella¡¯s location, and finally to the body, somewhat incoherent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t panic, take your time.¡±


    ¡°I came out and saw Dr. Li lying in a pool of blood, dead, he¡¯s dead!¡±


    Qin Zhenglin patted Fan Yan¡¯s back, stood up, walked over to the body, and crouched down to turn the body over. During this process, Fan Yan once again made a subconscious blocking motion, because generally, girls are afraid of seeing bloody and violent things.


    After confirming the person was dead, Qin Zhenglin took off his coat, draped it over Fan Yan, and helped her up, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll help you inside first.¡±


    ¡­


    The second time around, Gu Chengyu performed much more smoothly, but he was also shocked internally because he knew well that the scene just now was Shi Lan lowering her own standards to lead him into the plot.


    As soon as Shi Lan was out of character, she asked Sun Ling for a towel and water.


    At this moment, Director Tang beckoned Gu Chengyu over, ¡°Come and see for yourself.¡±


    Through the screen, Gu Chengyu could clearly see the gap between himself and Shi Lan, from their gazes to their lines, not to mention those details Shi Lan took into account all the time.


    ¡°I hope to see sparks fly in the next major confrontation scene between you two,¡± said Director Tang. If he had chosen a male actor with richer acting skills to work with Shi Lan, Director Tang felt he might be excited enough to jump around every day.


    Gu Chengyu looked at Shi Lan, who was wiping her face, and realized that he had no confidence in his acting skills compared to hers.


    He never realized An Lan¡¯s acting was so good. Could it be because in the past, she was fully focused on him?


    ¡°Director Tang, I would like to be alone for a while,¡± Gu Chengyu said, somewhat unable to accept it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep you company,¡± Chen Beini immediately offered.


    After Shi Lan wiped her face, she actually felt a bit annoyed. If they were going to proceed at Gu Chengyu¡¯s pace, the three major scenes scheduled for the afternoon would be impossible to finish. With that level of performance, the fans still praise him every day.


    Meanwhile, the coffee arranged by Yan Shixiu was being delivered to the crew one after another.


    Although Shi Lan only had warm water, she received a WeChat message from Yan Shixiu.


    President Yan: ¡°What kind of stage play do you like to watch?¡±


    How did they get on the topic of stage plays?


    ¡°King Lear,¡± Shi Lan replied. ¡°Also, President Yan, can you please keep private matters private? With so many eyes in the crew watching, it¡¯s difficult for me.¡±


    President Yan: ¡°My understanding is¡­ you don¡¯t reject the idea of me wanting to get to know you better? But it has to be in private?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Was it still possible to retract the previous message?


    ¡°It depends on what it is.¡±


    President Yan chuckled: ¡°Like, meeting privately, eating together, watching a stage play?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°Don¡¯t push me too hard.¡±


    Miss Shi showed her displeasure, and President Yan no longer pressed, replying instead,


    ¡°Understood, can you reply to the messages?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± This was the greatest concession from Miss Shi.


    She didn¡¯t understand why she was tolerating the man¡¯s gradual testing.


    ¡­


    Elsewhere, Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini were sitting side by side.


    Gu Chengyu looked in the direction where Shi Lan was, while Chen Beini was eager to share the gossip with him.


    ¡°Chengyu, do you know? The hotel cleaners are spreading rumors that An Lan hid a man in her room!¡±

 Chapter 47 - Chapter 46: 046 You should be glad you didnt meet me in your last life.

    Chapter 46: 046 You should be glad you didn¡¯t meet me in your last life.


    Gu Chengyu turned his head in astonishment and looked at Chen Beini, staring at her for a few seconds before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    ¡°How could I talk nonsense? A cleaner at the hotel bumped into it, the first time was in broad daylight, when a man was wrapped up in the blankets. Then that cleaner sneaked in again and saw someone in the bed. She even secretly took a photo.¡± Chen Beini said as she took out her phone, scrolled to a photo, and handed it to Gu Chengyu, ¡°What¡¯s this about? Don¡¯t you believe me?¡±


    Gu Chengyu held the phone with one hand and clearly saw the photo on the screen.


    In the photo, because the cleaner didn¡¯t dare to snap randomly, she could only take a shot toward the bedroom door. On the big bed, the lower half of a person¡¯s shape was vaguely visible, wrapped in the white bedding.


    ¡°Seeing no hope in seducing you, she starts seducing other men. She really isn¡¯t picky, is she?¡±


    Looking at the photo, Gu Chengyu¡¯s expression became even more complex. An Lan¡¯s acting had improved by leaps and bounds, could it be related to this mysterious man?


    ¡°What do you think, if we let General Manager Yan, who always protects his own, know about this, I wonder what his reaction would be?¡±


    Gu Chengyu couldn¡¯t keep his calm any longer and rose from the chair, ¡°Do whatever you want.¡±


    At this moment, Shi Lan didn¡¯t know that the matter with the human-shaped pillow had been exposed. Even after Gu Chengyu calmed down, his emotions became so strange that everyone around him noticed, but Miss Shi Lan was never the type to care about others¡¯ feelings minutely. As long as it didn¡¯t affect her, she generally had two attitudes: it¡¯s none of my business, and it¡¯s none of yours.


    ¡°An Lan, Gu Chengyu, come here to retake a few solo shots, and then we¡¯ll move to a new set.¡±


    The next scene transitions to indoor shooting.


    In the solo shots Gu Chengyu had just taken, he found Fan Yan¡¯s ring in the sleeve of the doctor¡¯s body, and since he knew about the past grudges between the Fan Family and this doctor, he became suspicious.


    The next scene to shoot was the confrontation between the two characters.


    ¡°For this scene, Chengyu, you will be digging for information, as it involves a lot of past grievances. An Lan, there will be a significant emotional change on your part.¡± Director Tang was explaining the scene to both actors, ¡°An Lan, show me what you¡¯ve got.¡±


    Shi Lan was touching up her makeup on the side and nodded her head.


    Because she was already envisioning the scene behind the camera positioning.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°2-6-1-1, Action!¡±


    In the room, Fan Yan lay sprawled on the bed in disarray.


    Qin Zhenglin had calmed the panicked guests after calling the police and pushed the door to return to the room.


    Fan Yan turned her head and saw only Qin Zhenglin alone; her originally bright expression immediately took on a hint of coldness, as she knew she had aroused suspicion. Otherwise, Qin Zhenglin wouldn¡¯t have come in alone; he would have found someone to comfort her.


    So, she slowly sat upright, then, subconsciously stroking her empty finger gaps, her chest heaving noticeably.


    She was getting into the role too quickly!


    And her control was too strong!


    However, seeing Shi Lan¡¯s disheveled appearance, Gu Chengyu thought about the photo Chen Beini had shown him earlier, so his eyes were full of anger.


    ¡°Cut! Gu Chengyu, what emotion is that?¡± shouted Director Tang.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Director Tang, I¡¯m a bit distracted!¡± Gu Chengyu wiped his face.


    ¡°Four months of filming, and it still seems too short for you,¡± Shi Lan said scathingly without hesitation, ¡°You probably need four years.¡±


    ¡°Director Tang, I¡¯m feeling a bit unwell, can I have some time to adjust? I will make up for it double afterward.¡±


    ¡°You keep targeting An Lan like this, no amount of time for adjustment will help,¡± Director Tang pointed out directly.


    ¡°Just an afternoon,¡± Gu Chengyu said, then turned to look at Shi Lan, ¡°You should be grateful we¡¯re not shooting a fight scene today.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°You should be grateful¡­¡± you never crossed paths with me in your past life.


    If it had been in her past life, Miss Shi Lan would have made a fool like him cry outright, hanging him on the deck to blister in the sun for three days and three nights.

 Chapter 48 - Chapter 47: 047 I will tell on you.

    Chapter 47: 047 I will tell on you.


    After Gu Chengyu left, Director Tang crossed his arms and frowned as he asked Shi Lan, ¡°Did you provoke him again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been under your watch the whole time,¡± Miss Shi insisted she wouldn¡¯t take the blame for this.


    ¡°No filming this afternoon, everyone rest!¡±


    ¡°Director Tang, we could shoot my parts, and there are also some group scenes,¡± Shi Lan didn¡¯t want to waste time.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s change the set.¡± Director Tang waved his hand, actually quite satisfied with Shi Lan¡¯s work ethic.


    Sun Ling came over with a clean towel, not being able to help complaining, ¡°Is this male lead an idiot?¡±


    Shi Lan let Sun Ling drape the towel over her shoulders as she walked downstairs, clutching her phone in hand, unable to resist, she sent a message to that bastard on WeChat.


    Shi Lan: ¡°Boss Yan, someone keeps delaying the shooting schedule over and over. Shouldn¡¯t they be socially beaten up?¡±


    Boss Yan asked with interest, ¡°If it were you, what would you do?¡±


    I would get a group of people to have a heart-to-heart talk with him, and then treat him to a ¡°high-end¡± meal to make him sober up and understand the dark side of the entertainment industry.


    But at the moment, operating under An Lan¡¯s ID, Shi Lan could only make a mental note of it for now.


    Shi Lan: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I would just tell on him.¡±


    Seeing the reply, Yan Shixiu chuckled. In the past, Miss Shi Lan would never give a heads up when dealing with someone; now, she can only swallow her feelings, which must be tough for her.


    Yet, the way she tattles is somewhat submissive, which is awkward yet endearing.


    Actually, after sending the message, Shi Lan regretted it.


    Because she felt like she was leveraging Yan Shixiu¡¯s ¡°pursuit¡± of her to ask for favors, a bit like acting like Gu Chengyu 2.0.


    But in truth, she had no such intention; she messaged Yan Shixiu because she had said she admired the way that bastard dealt with things and was used to seeking out that resonating person.


    Shi Lan: ¡°Never mind what I said, just talking.¡±


    But on Yan Shixiu¡¯s side, it wasn¡¯t just idle listening.


    Boss Yan: ¡°Telling on someone is a virtue.¡±


    Seeing this response, Shi Lan was infuriated. In a previous life, getting a kind word out of you was like forcing you to swallow poison, but now for someone else, the compliments come easily.


    Shi Lan: ¡°Boss Yan, where¡¯s your bottom line?¡±


    Boss Yan: ¡°Seriously, how do you want to handle it?¡±


    The female boss, adhering to her principle of relieving everyone, especially saving Director Tang from a heart attack, sent Yan Shixiu a ¡°suggestion.¡±


    Artists like Gu Chengyu, spoiled by fans, need to be controlled now, otherwise they¡¯ll keep causing trouble in the future.


    After reading Shi Lan¡¯s ¡°suggestion,¡± Yan Shixiu replied with just four words: ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°What do you mean ¡®as I wish¡¯? Whose budget am I trying to save? This is called being loyal!¡±


    Boss Yan: ¡°If this was just between brothers¡­ it would be a pity.¡±


    Three sentences without flirting, will you die?


    Shi Lan: ¡°I¡¯m going to start shooting!¡±


    Boss Yan smiled, put away his phone, and summoned his assistant into the office. Shi Lan¡¯s method was one that most big shots in the industry would use, she was indeed experienced.


    Firstly, on Director Tang¡¯s end, they made Gu Chengyu reflect on his actions.


    Then, Gu Chengyu¡¯s management company would pretend to arrange a B-lister to take over his role and get Gu Chengyu involved with some terrible scripts, to serve as a warning.


    Normally, the management companies would cooperate, as they too feared artists would become arrogant with fame, and would attempt to rein them in.


    The management company made it clear that they could continue without Gu Chengyu.


    Now, when Gu Chengyu humbled himself and begged Director Tang to take him back, that was the time for Director Tang to grind him down further.


    This chain of actions would strip even the proudest artist of their arrogance!

 Chapter 49 - Chapter 48: If she hadnt messed around, what would you have said?

    Chapter 48: If she hadn¡¯t messed around, what would you have said?


    When Shi Lan finished her group scenes, it was already evening.


    Sun Ling was protecting Shi Lan as they were preparing to return to the hotel. At that moment, they saw Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini preparing for a night scene in another studio.


    Shi Lan turned around, making eye contact with Director Tang, and then she saw Director Tang walking toward Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini.


    ¡°Director Tang.¡±


    ¡°Director Tang.¡±


    Gu Chengyu and his companion greeted respectfully.


    Director Tang surveyed the two for a moment and then said to Gu Chengyu, ¡°I reckon you won¡¯t be able to adjust right away, so how about this, you go back and adjust slowly. We¡¯ll first shoot Nini¡¯s solo parts.¡±


    After hearing Director Tang¡¯s words, the expressions on Gu Chengyu and his companion¡¯s faces changed.


    ¡°Director Tang¡­ I¡­¡±


    ¡°What ¡®I¡¯? An Lan isn¡¯t happy to see you either, but she still insisted on shooting four group scenes this afternoon. Just like that, you go back and cool off, and we¡¯ll talk once you¡¯ve figured things out.¡± After saying this, Director Tang didn¡¯t give Gu Chengyu a chance to interject and directly instructed the props team, ¡°Tonight¡¯s scene involving both leads is canceled.¡±


    A moment later, Director Tang walked out of the studio.


    ¡°Chengyu, what does Director Tang mean by this?¡± Chen Beini looked at Gu Chengyu, both of them somewhat panicked.


    ¡°Let me first make a call to the agency.¡± Gu Chengyu took out his phone, turned his back, and made a call to the agency, whose executives directly said on the phone,


    ¡°You come back. Since you can¡¯t control your emotions, someone else will take over your role. I¡¯ve already chosen someone¡ªLiu Yang will replace you, and you¡¯ll take on Liu Yang¡¯s script.¡±


    ¡°President Gao, the reason I acted this way is because of An Lan¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about An Lan. She doesn¡¯t have your issues. If you won¡¯t act, someone else will. Do you realize how much your antics this afternoon cost the crew? Enough, I¡¯ve already sent a car to pick you up.¡± The person on the other end then hung up the phone.


    Gu Chengyu was stunned and panicked.


    ¡°Chengyu, what exactly is happening?¡± Chen Beini asked, shaking his arm.


    Gu Chengyu ran his hands through his hair and paced irritably, ¡°They might want to replace the lead actor.¡±


    ¡°Impossible, right? The crew was specially designed for our National Couple¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because I wasn¡¯t cooperative, so I can¡¯t hold my ground,¡± Gu Chengyu admitted with a bit of self-awareness, ¡°You hold steady for now; I need to communicate with the agency first.¡±


    After finishing, Gu Chengyu, along with his assistant, hurriedly left the set.


    Chen Beini wanted to follow, but she feared that escalating the issue might affect her own position as the lead actress.


    After much deliberation, Chen Beini still thought that An Lan was to blame. If An Lan left the crew, then Gu Chengyu would have no issues acting with anyone else.


    Suddenly, Chen Beini thought of the photos in her phone.


    If she gave them to President Yan of Huahai, could she use them to get Gu Chengyu back?


    Thus, not long after nightfall, Chen Beini took advantage of the darkness to leave the film base and headed for Huahai, secretly meeting with Yan Shixiu.


    Yan Shixiu probably knew why she had come. Initially, he didn¡¯t want to see her, but Chen Beini revealed her trump card. In the end, she was allowed into Huahai¡¯s reception room, which was not the president¡¯s office.


    ¡°Where did you get this photo?¡± At that moment, President Yan sat in the main seat, leaning back in his office chair, his thin lenses concealing a pair of inscrutable dark eyes.


    He naturally recognized the room, 1117, which he had personally arranged.


    ¡°It was found by the janitorial staff. President Yan, An Lan clinging to Chengyu in the past was one thing, but causing chaos between men and women in the crew now¡ªshouldn¡¯t she be the one to go?¡± Chen Beini argued defiantly to Yan Shixiu.


    Yan Shixiu sat in the main seat, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he looked up, his eyes flashing sharply, ¡°Who else have you shown this to?¡±


    ¡°Besides Chengyu, no one,¡± Chen Beini shook her head.


    ¡°Whether she¡¯s messing around or not, won¡¯t we know once we check?¡± President Yan¡¯s tone rose.


    He was not worried about Shi Lan misbehaving. After all, Miss Shi¡¯s taste was impeccable.


    He just also wanted to know what game Miss Shi was playing.


    ¡°But,¡± President Yan threw out a premise, his dark eyes staring intensely at Chen Beini, very dangerously, ¡°if she hasn¡¯t been misbehaving, how will you explain then?¡±

 Chapter 50 - Chapter 49: 049 Reaping without sowing?

    Chapter 49: 049 Reaping without sowing?


    After Chen Beini finished listening, she didn¡¯t understand and even found it somewhat laughable, ¡°President Yan, I am here to help the crew eliminate a malignancy. Why should I explain myself?¡±


    Yan Shixiu put his hands together, fingers interlaced, and tilted his head slightly, revealing a hint of nonchalance, ¡°A malignancy? Whether An Lan has been messing around with men in the hotel is her private matter, but she has not affected her work. Whereas Gu Chengyu is burning through my budget every second. Which do you think matters more to me?¡±


    Chen Beini was stunned.


    ¡°You came to me merely wishing to swap Gu Chengyu for An Lan, and I agreed. But if An Lan is innocent, shouldn¡¯t you also pay a corresponding price? Otherwise, are you trying to pull a fast one on me?¡±


    Chen Beini suddenly felt very anxious, her expression complex.


    Yan Shixiu had such a refined appearance, so why were his thoughts so meticulous, and why did he exert such immense pressure?


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this, I¡¯ll give you two options, confirm An Lan¡¯s private life is unsavory, and I¡¯ll replace her, otherwise, I¡¯ll replace you?¡±


    Upon hearing the words ¡°replace you,¡± Chen Beini quickly said, ¡°President Yan, I am, after all, a top influencer. Compared to An Lan¡¯s worth, she doesn¡¯t even come close.¡±


    That, Yan Shixiu did not deny.


    He smiled, ¡°True, then choose one from your many resources and give it to An Lan, else why would I meddle in someone¡¯s private life?¡±


    ¡°President Yan, let me make a phone call.¡±


    Yan Shixiu gestured towards the parlor door, indicating she could do as she pleased, then he swiveled his office chair, turning away from the door.


    Within two minutes, Chen Beini was back in the parlor, quite certain as she said to Yan Shixiu, ¡°President Yan, I¡¯ll bet.¡±


    Because Chen Beini had just called the hotel¡¯s cleaner, confirming that someone was in Shi Lan¡¯s room and that they hadn¡¯t come out.


    The cleaner had taken Chen Beini¡¯s money, discreetly looked into room 1117 during lunchtime when nobody was around, afraid to disturb the ¡°man¡± inside, so she had only dared to peek through a crack in the door. She had wrapped herself in a blanket, and it was undeniably a real person, not fake. She had watched that floor for a long time and hadn¡¯t seen a man leave 1117.


    Chen Beini was certain that man was in Shi Lan¡¯s room at that moment, so she confidently placed her bet with Yan Shixiu.


    ¡°A bet is fine, but let¡¯s get this straight, the resource you must cough up has to be of middling or higher tier among all your resources, don¡¯t bring out something you don¡¯t want just to disgust me.¡±


    Chen Beini suddenly thought of an international sports brand undergoing transformation, so she said, ¡°Fine, I can recommend to her the best resource my team is currently negotiating.¡±


    But whether An Lan could capitalize on it was none of her business.


    Once the terms were settled, Yan Shixiu had his assistant notify Tang Ze, after all, visiting a female artist¡¯s room late at night needed a legitimate reason.


    Receiving the call at this critical moment made Tang Ze nervous because Yan Shixiu was planning to visit An Lan¡¯s room at this time?


    Tang Ze wasn¡¯t foolish, of course he knew something was happening, especially since, after reaching Huahai, he had also seen Chen Beini.


    Tang Ze realized that the situation was complex and had wanted to give Shi Lan a heads-up, but was intercepted by Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant, ¡°Tonight, your only tasks are to drive and open doors.¡±


    Tang Ze nervously nodded, then turned off his phone in front of President Yan¡¯s assistant.


    Thus, Yan Shixiu and Chen Beini, each with their assistants, along with Tang Ze, assembled a powerful team to catch the cheater, with two luxury sedans heading straight for the drama crew¡¯s hotel.

 Chapter 51 - Chapter 50: 050 Kneel and Apologize

    Chapter 50: 050 Kneel and Apologize


    In Lanting Hotel, suite 1117, a luxurious panoramic suite.


    Shi Lan had just finished dinner and was sitting on the sofa reading a script when she heard the doorbell. She thought it was hotel service delivering fruit, so she asked Sun Ling to open the door.


    Sun Ling, turning off the water, came out of the bathroom and ran towards the door shouting, ¡°Coming, coming¡­¡±


    However, when she opened the door, she froze¡­


    Leading the ¡°Cheating Catching Team,¡± Tang Ze stood impressively at the doorway.


    Tang Ze made frantic gestures with his eyes while Chen Beini and her assistant tiptoed to peek inside the room. Yan Shixiu, feeling it improper to enter Shi Lan¡¯s room, had his assistant check while he stayed in the hotel lobby. His assistant didn¡¯t intend to go in either, so he stood at the back, less noticeable.


    Sun Ling, not understanding the situation, tentatively asked, ¡°Brother Tang, are you looking for An Lan?¡±


    Tang Ze sighed and asked, ¡°Is An Lan dressed appropriately?¡±


    Sun Ling nodded eagerly.


    ¡°Then step aside.¡±


    Following Tang Ze¡¯s command, Sun Ling pushed the door open wider and stepped aside.


    Tang Ze, leading the way into the living room, looked around and, seeing nothing amiss, finally relaxed.


    Because he didn¡¯t know about the body pillow.


    But Chen Beini was different; she went straight into Shi Lan¡¯s bedroom and saw the ¡°figure¡± on the bed.


    ¡°Look!¡± Chen Beini pointed at Shi Lan¡¯s bedroom and said to the group.


    Shi Lan, turning her head from the sofa and seeing the group, tilted her head with a somewhat amused expression and asked, ¡°Who let you in?¡±


    ¡°An Lan, you¡¯re really disgusting, flirting with Chengyu while keeping a ¡®beauty¡¯ hidden; you even bring men into the production team. You really know how to play. No wonder Chengyu is so disgusted by you.¡± Chen Beini pointed at the ¡°man¡± in Shi Lan¡¯s room and scolded.


    At that moment, Tang Ze noticed the ¡°man¡± tucked in the blanket and his expression grew extremely sour.


    After hearing Chen Beini¡¯s words, Shi Lan immediately understood the purpose of these idlers barging into her room late at night.


    Here to catch a cheater?


    However, Shi Lan remained calm and glanced at the room before asking, ¡°Does my private life affect my work?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly because you¡¯re so disgusting that Chengyu can¡¯t act properly with you,¡± Chen Beini said pompously, then turned towards Shi Lan¡¯s bedroom, ¡°Hey, handsome in there, maybe it¡¯s time to come out?¡±


    Everyone turned to look at the bedroom.


    With indescribable expressions.


    Tang Ze exchanged a frantic look with Sun Ling, who indicated she was feeling very conflicted.


    Because she felt that revealing the body pillow would be as embarrassing for Shi Lan as getting caught cheating.


    ¡°An Lan, I didn¡¯t expect you to give up on yourself to this extent,¡± Tang Ze said harshly, ¡°You promised me you¡¯d focus on your career!¡±


    ¡°Besides you all, there are no other men in this room,¡± Shi Lan said calmly.


    ¡°You¡¯re still denying it. We all saw it,¡± Chen Beini pointed at the bedroom and sneered.


    At that moment, Shi Lan stood up from the sofa and glanced coldly at Chen Beini, ¡°If there is no man in my room, will you kneel and apologize to me?¡±


    ¡°Fine! If there really is no man in your room, I¡¯ll kneel and apologize to you immediately,¡± Chen Beini said loudly, not believing that Shi Lan could make a living man disappear.


    ¡°Remember your words and go check for yourself,¡± Miss Shi said, rolling her eyes, completely unaware that Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant was still standing at the door.


    The group hastened to Shi Lan¡¯s bedroom and flung back the bed covers, and then¡­

 Chapter 52 - Chapter 52: I still have accounts to settle with An Lan.

    Chapter 52: I still have accounts to settle with An Lan.


    Beini Chen¡¯s face turned red, extremely embarrassed. After all, her status was high, but now she was being coerced into kneeling to a lesser-known actor in front of so many people. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t comply.


    The silence settled again in room 1117, as nobody knew what to say.


    At that moment, Shi Lan, seeing that Beini Chen hadn¡¯t moved, forcefully set down her cup, stood up from her chair, and walked over to Beini Chen, saying, ¡°Do I need to repeat what you just said?¡±


    ¡°An Lan¡­¡± Tang Ze reached out, grabbing Shi Lan¡¯s arm, trying to persuade her to stop¡ªafter all, they still had to work together for four months and didn¡¯t want to spoil their relationship.


    But Shi Lan shook off Tang Ze¡¯s hand, leaned forward, and said close to Beini Chen, ¡°Some people, you try to give them face, but they just won¡¯t take it.¡±


    ¡°An Lan!¡± Beini Chen yelled furiously, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for your past indiscretions, would Chengyu and I need to fear being dragged down by you?¡±


    ¡°Kneel¡­ or not?¡± Shi Lan bit down on these words, her eyes suddenly turning very cold.


    ¡°President Yan¡­¡± Unable to deal with Shi Lan, Beini Chen turned to someone for help.


    Yan Shixiu looked at the back of his hand, paused for a few seconds, and finally spoke, but he had no intention of pleading for Beini Chen, ¡°I won¡¯t involve myself in things you two agreed upon.¡±


    Shi Lan raised her eyebrows at Beini Chen.


    ¡°I can trade with something else, but kneeling is absolutely impossible.¡±


    At that point, Shi Lan stood up straight, scoffed, and said, ¡°Sometimes I really don¡¯t understand what people like you contribute to this world. Just like a pathetic dog, throwing tantrums, going back on your words as if they were nothing. If you don¡¯t want to kneel, that¡¯s fine, but I¡¯m someone who bears grudges. Since you¡¯ve offended me today, you have to leave something behind. Stand outside my door for three hours as punishment¡ªI can barely accept that. The choice is yours.¡±


    Apart from Yan Shixiu, nobody else at the scene could understand why Shi Lan could wield such a powerful presence.


    ¡°In the past, when it came to filming, I would give in and endure as much as I could, but if you keep pushing your limits, don¡¯t blame me for confronting you. When that happens, what I want won¡¯t be your kneeling¡ªit¡¯ll be¡­ your kneecaps.¡±


    Beini Chen was terrified by Shi Lan¡¯s sinister gaze, feeling a chill down her spine.


    So much so that when she answered, her voice trembled, ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ll stand as punishment.¡±


    Then, Beini Chen, along with her assistant, fled Shi Lan¡¯s room like escaping for their lives and stood in the corridor.


    Tang Ze was also frightened by Shi Lan¡¯s demeanor. Thinking of how An Lan used to be like a docile lamb, he suddenly swallowed hard. It was as if she was possessed by an Evil Ghost!


    Throughout, President Yan remained expressionless, closely observing every expression on Shi Lan¡¯s face, the heiress really not hiding her domineering attitude at all.


    Shi Lan looked up and, seeing everyone¡¯s odd expressions, she dropped her intensity and returned to her usual calm demeanor, asking, ¡°That segment just now, imitating a mafia movie, wasn¡¯t it effective?¡±


    Sun Ling was the first to breathe a sigh of relief, patting his chest, ¡°Not just Beini Chen, you nearly scared me to death too.¡±


    Tang Ze stayed silent, feeling something was off, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint what it was.


    At this moment, President Yan spoke again, ¡°You guys go out first, accompany Beini Chen as she stands in punishment. I still have some scores to settle with An Lan.¡±


    The three of them understood; the matter about the body pillow wouldn¡¯t have been so easily resolved without Yan Shixiu covering for Shi Lan.


    Things like the dark windy night and being inspired by Yan Shixiu were just meant to deceive others.


    The three hesitated but eventually left the room, staring at each other with Beini Chen outside, while the room finally fell quiet again.

 Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: 053 The master is here, where are you looking?

    Chapter 53: 053 The master is here, where are you looking?


    Miss Shi never blushed, nor did she feel awkward. After a bunch of nonsense, she didn¡¯t feel guilty at all. She simply sat down on the sofa, eyes fixed on the human-shaped pillow, wondering if the dog of a man would let her keep it, even though it was her possession, but after all, it was his face.


    Yan Shixiu smiled wryly, leaned forward, and asked, ¡°I¡¯m right here, where are you looking?¡±


    Shi Lan met his gaze with an annoyed look, wearing an expression that seemed to challenge, ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you, when did I ever bump into you?¡± Mr. Yan began to inquire, cherishing this moment of solitude deeply in his heart.


    ¡°Not before, but now you have,¡± Shi Lan fully embodied the spirit of shamelessness.


    ¡°Oh? How did it happen?¡± Yan Shixiu raised his tone of voice.


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Flirt with me one more time, why don¡¯t you?


    Iron Straight Lan could smash your skull open!


    ¡°Mr. Yan, your deceased wife is not even cold in her grave yet.¡±


    ¡°How do you know what my wife cared about?¡± Yan Shixiu asked as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


    Because I am the lady sitting right in front of you!


    Yan Shixiu also knew that Miss Shi couldn¡¯t be teased too much. So before she lost her temper, he changed the subject: ¡°Now that it¡¯s just the two of us in the room, you should finally tell me why you made my pillow, right?¡±


    Facing the dog of a man, Shi Lan¡¯s desire for revenge surged: ¡°If I said it¡¯s for warding off evil, would you believe me?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ not really.¡± Yan Shixiu adjusted his glasses, the corners of his lips curling up, ¡°You excel at making things up, but you could have thought of a more perfect excuse. Or should I make one up for you, that you¡¯ve fallen for me?¡±


    This time, Shi Lan was quite calm, crossing her arms: ¡°Do you think that¡¯s possible?¡±


    ¡°That hurts.¡± Yan Shixiu sighed in disappointment, ¡°After a busy night, is this all I get in return?¡±


    Who are you trying to seduce here?


    Shi Lan was exasperated because the Yan Shixiu before her completely overturned her perception of him, and she couldn¡¯t control her tone to be somewhat harsh: ¡°What exactly do you want then? To sleep here?¡±


    The feeling of their argument seemed to suddenly carry the taste of a past life. Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t want to quarrel this time and took a step back, saying, ¡°Like tonight, just reduce some of the restrictions and rejection towards me, that¡¯s all.¡±


    Having said that, he rose from the sofa: ¡°It¡¯s late, you should rest, we have shooting tomorrow.¡±


    Seeing him take two steps away, Shi Lan suddenly raised a question: ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°Is that bad?¡± Yan Shixiu tossed the question back, his tone a touch tender.


    Is that bad?


    Shi Lan couldn¡¯t answer, but seeing Yan Shixiu¡¯s gaze lingering on the human-shaped pillow, she suddenly lunged forward and protected it fiercely: ¡°Don¡¯t get any ideas about my pillow.¡±


    It was her lifeline.


    Yan Shixiu laughed softly again, because what Shi Lan was holding onto was also him, though for now a substitute. But why didn¡¯t she become anyone else¡¯s but happened to become his?


    ¡°Is it that important to you?¡±


    Shi Lan huffed, What¡¯s it to you?


    Mr. Yan was thrilled, even felt like setting off fireworks to celebrate. Although the lady didn¡¯t fully explain why, since she¡¯d chosen him, he was willing to wait.


    And one day, he would replace that pillow with himself!


    ¡°I¡¯m off. I¡¯ll take care of the cleaning up. This won¡¯t happen again in the future.¡±


    After he spoke, Yan Shixiu pulled open the door.


    Outside, five people stood at attention as punishment. Yan Shixiu was about to leave with his assistant when Sun Ling gathered his courage, stepped forward, and said to Yan Shixiu: ¡°Mr. Yan, may I have a word please?¡±


    After hearing Sun Ling¡¯s words, Yan Shixiu suddenly had a strong premonition that whatever Sun Ling was about to tell him would tug forcefully at his heart.


    Yan Shixiu did not respond but motioned for Sun Ling to head to the viewing balcony.


    ¡­


    Under the night sky, Yan Shixiu stood before the railing and turned to look at Sun Ling: ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Yan,¡± Sun Ling moved a little closer and then whispered, ¡°An Lan made that pillow because she has a serious problem with insomnia. She didn¡¯t want to cause trouble, but she needed to act and couldn¡¯t use alcohol to help her sleep. Please don¡¯t blame her.¡±


    Insomnia.


    Yan Shixiu was taken aback for a moment and tried hard to recall Shi Lan¡¯s sleeping patterns. In his memory, her sleep was very light, easily disturbed, but it was never a case of being unable to sleep. But thinking of Shi Lan¡¯s wine cellar and how she avoided tea and coffee, Yan Shixiu suddenly understood her intention behind making that pillow.


    So, could his importance actually compete with her treasured wine cellar?


    ¡°Take good care of her,¡± he said and quickly walked away.

 Chapter 54 - Chapter 54: Congratulations on unlocking the bond of friendship?

    Chapter 54: Congratulations on unlocking the bond of friendship?


    Sun Ling didn¡¯t understand Yan Shixiu¡¯s reaction, she just felt that it was probably not bad overall.


    After Yan Shixiu left, Tang Ze had no reason to stay either. He glanced at Chen Beini for a while, then took a taxi back to Yancheng.


    Late at night, Chen Beini and her assistant remained in the hallway like wooden stakes, while Shi Lan, during her washing up, kept recalling those three words from Yan Shixiu, ¡°Is it bad?¡±


    Initially, Shi Lan wanted to escape; later, when she realized that Yan Shixiu was suffering the torment of the Shi Family on her behalf, she recognized that the bonds between them could not be discarded, no matter what. However, she couldn¡¯t accept repeating the marriage of her previous life.


    Is it bad?


    It wasn¡¯t that it was bad, but if you have even a sliver of hesitation, that sliver will eventually turn into a hundred percent regret.


    Thus, in this life, she hoped that any decision she made would be extremely cautious.


    After some thought, Shi Lan sent Yan Shixiu a WeChat message: ¡°The extent I can accept now is for us to become friends.¡±


    At that time, Yan Shixiu was in his Huahai office, rifling through Shi Lan¡¯s old personal files. After seeing the message, he replied, ¡°Then¡­Congratulations to me for unlocking the friend bond?¡±


    Shi Lan sent back an eye-rolling emoji, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. Knowing that Chen Beini was still obediently punished outside, she went to sleep peacefully.


    Putting down his phone, Yan Shixiu continued sorting through Shi Lan¡¯s files and various business cards. Finally, he found a card for a private clinic.


    Looking at the contact information on it, Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t care about the lateness of the hour and called directly.


    ¡­


    Three hours of punishment, neither long nor short, Chen Beini stood outside Shi Lan¡¯s door the entire time, not daring to leave. Fortunately, there weren¡¯t many guests coming up to the 11th floor, so Chen Beini wasn¡¯t too embarrassed. Generally, the room service staff thought she was waiting for someone.


    ¡°Nini, time¡¯s up. Let¡¯s head back,¡± her assistant supported Chen Beini. ¡°We better not provoke this An Lan anymore. Didn¡¯t you see Yan¡¯s attitude? His favoritism was too obvious. Moreover, it¡¯s infuriating that he wants you, a top-tier artist, to yield resources to An Lan. Does she deserve it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send her a ¡®nice¡¯ resource,¡± said Chen Beini coldly, massaging her stiff legs. ¡°Isn¡¯t our team discussing the renewal issue with the sports brand Glory? I¡¯ll recommend An Lan for it.¡±


    Glory, an international sports brand, almost second-tier. Previously, it had always been Chen Beini endorsing it. However, the company had many issues and was difficult to please, so Chen Beini¡¯s team didn¡¯t want to renew the contract.


    By recommending someone else, her team found an excuse to decline.


    If An Lan was chosen and suddenly took over her resources, fans would definitely tear An Lan apart.


    If not chosen, then no one could blame her. Even if Yan Shixiu turned up, she could justify herself confidently. Such a great resource was fed to An Lan¡¯s mouth, and she couldn¡¯t bite it, whose fault is it?


    ¡°Glory for An Lan? Even if it¡¯s something we look down upon, she doesn¡¯t deserve it,¡± her assistant snorted.


    ¡°Just wait and watch the drama unfold.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back. We have a scene with that despicable person tomorrow morning. We need to be fully rested, not to be outperformed by her,¡± her assistant helped Chen Beini, hastening their pace.


    ¡­


    The next morning, Yan Shixiu had arranged to meet someone at a coffee shop.


    The person was a man in his early thirties, medium build, with a crew cut, carrying a briefcase, and with a rugged, masculine face.


    ¡°The person in charge of Langxi Private Clinic, Duan Langxi.¡± After sitting down, he looked at Yan Shixiu and chuckled, ¡°She is no longer here, why are you only asking about Shi Lan¡¯s past now?¡±

 Chapter 55 - Chapter 55: 055 You think you can stop whenever you want?

    Chapter 55: 055 You think you can stop whenever you want?


    ¡°She¡¯s always there,¡± Yan Shixiu replied seriously as he looked at the other person.


    Duan Langxi and Yan Shixiu exchanged looks for a moment before Duan nodded in concession, ¡°I became Shi Lan¡¯s psychologist shortly after I graduated and did it for six years, until she married you three years ago. After that, she rarely sought me out. She was the most guarded patient I have ever encountered.¡±


    ¡°She¡­ came to you because of her insomnia?¡± Yan Shixiu guessed.


    ¡°Exactly, she had insomnia, long-term sleep disorders. If it weren¡¯t for her strong inner spirit, anyone else would have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital by now,¡± Duan Langxi laughed. ¡°What surprised me even more is that you would become her cure.¡±


    ¡°Has she ever told you the cause of her insomnia?¡±


    At this, Duan Langxi let out a cold laugh: ¡°Shi Lan started receiving training from the family when she was eight years old¡ªmusic, chess, calligraphy, painting, business socializing, and all that doesn¡¯t need much explanation as you know more than I do. But behind that, she was undergoing other training. Her grandfather had been kidnapped in his youth, and the Shi Family is often threatened by enemies, so the old master frequently threw her into extreme environments to train her reaction skills, survival instincts, and¡­ how to face the terror of being hunted. Isn¡¯t that twisted?¡±


    ¡°A little girl being chased by a man with a knife in the woods¡ªyou can¡¯t even imagine the scene,¡±


    ¡°Sounds unbelievable, right? But that¡¯s the world of the wealthy; no one knows if their minds really control their bodies.¡±


    ¡°Whatever Shi Lan was afraid of, the old master would train that. Once, because Shi Lan was afraid of heights, the old master hung her from a bungee tower all night long.¡±


    ¡°Thus, Shi Lan lacks empathy like ordinary people, cold-hearted and indifferent. She¡¯s like a robot and finds little joy in life.¡±


    ¡°Also, due to the intense training, she has always been in a state of high tension, which led to her frailty and chronic insomnia.¡±


    ¡°But even chronic insomnia hasn¡¯t brought down this tough superwoman; if it were me, I would have shattered long ago.¡±


    ¡°When you have time, you can go ask the Shi Family about Shi Lan¡¯s childhood and adolescence. It will be quite interesting.¡±


    ¡°Your appearance really surprised me. I tried for six years to fully gain her trust, but you¡­ you managed to make her fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what this means? Shi Lan doesn¡¯t trust anyone in this world. The grandfather who raised her died, and she didn¡¯t even attend his funeral, but she trusts you.¡±


    ¡°But I understand that your interactions with her haven¡¯t been great. It¡¯s not your fault, no one can get along with her.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t blame her, this psychopath can watch a snuff film while enjoying her meal just fine¡ªshe doesn¡¯t understand ordinary emotions.¡±


    After hearing everything, Yan Shixiu felt like his heart wasn¡¯t his own anymore, even numbed by the pain.


    ¡°While the person is still here, you can treat her better. But now that she¡¯s gone, what can you recover?¡±


    Duan Langxi said this somewhat regrettably.


    Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t explain, and after a long while, he said in a low voice, ¡°Regardless, thank you for today.¡±


    Duan Langxi shook his head, but how could he tell that Yan Shixiu was suppressing a cry?


    ¡­


    In the morning, the set of ¡°Smoke¡± had scenes featuring Shi Lan and Chen Beini, since Gu Chengyu had been advised to return. Amidst the busy time for the props team, Shi Lan and Chen Beini waited in makeup on set, while Gu Chengyu also learned that the cheating incident from the previous night was a misunderstanding. He was full of regret and kept asking the company to let him return to the film crew, but this time, his agency decided to make him learn his lesson, so they didn¡¯t agree.


    You want to film when you want, and stop when you want?


    The company even had Liu Yang and Director Tang make a call to consider replacing him, determined to teach Gu Chengyu a profound lesson.

 Chapter 56 - Chapter 56: 056 Friend? Give some space, friend?

    Chapter 56: 056 Friend? Give some space, friend?


    On the set, Shi Lan, portraying Fan Yan, and Chen Beini, portraying Jiang Zilin, were a pair of close girlfriends, so they normally shared a deep sisterly love, even if they were to fall out, it would be in the latter part of the story. However, due to the complexity of the character Fan Yan, the fact was that acting against Chen Beini made Shi Lan¡¯s task much more challenging.


    For Fan Yan was both an angel and a devil.


    Her sisterly affection for Jiang Zilin was genuine, yet, she truly did betray her.


    ¡°Both of you come over for the scene, and if anyone wants to reflect, let me know in advance so I can dismiss her now.¡±


    Ever since Yan Shixiu gave Director Tang this confidence, he felt the team was much easier to manage, silently watching as the two ¡°rivals¡± obediently made their way towards him, Director Tang thought to himself, Yan always comes up with perfect solutions.


    Little did he know that this ¡°suggestion¡± came from a lady boss.


    Shi Lan and Chen Beini exchanged a glance, keeping silent about the events of the previous night.


    Yan handled the aftermath very efficiently, not only having the hotel cleaned but also ensuring strict confidentiality. No one else in the crew had heard anything, after all, he wasn¡¯t trying to save Chen Beini¡¯s face, but rather to keep a powerful woman¡¯s prestige intact.


    ¡°This scene was scheduled yesterday. It is a conversation between Jiang Zilin and Fan Yan before Jiang¡¯s wedding. Beini, I have to remind you about emotional control; I¡¯m afraid you might not keep up with An Lan.¡±


    After hearing this, Chen Beini was shocked for a moment and emphasized to Director Tang, ¡°Director Tang, I have been in the industry for four years now.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then let¡¯s do a run-through,¡± responded Director Tang nonchalantly.


    In this scene, Chen Beini¡¯s Jiang Zilin was confiding in a good friend because she was very opposed to an arranged marriage, but the complication was that she had affections for Young Master Qin.


    Meanwhile, Fan Yan was comforting her best friend while trying to pry information from Jiang Zilin¡¯s mouth.


    The setting was next to a carriage, with both of them returning to Jiang Residence by carriage.


    ¡°Come, 2-4-1-1, Action!¡±


    The wind machine was working off to the side, while the coachman waited nearby.


    Hand in hand, the two women walked to the carriage. At this moment, while Chen Beini was still adjusting her emotions, trying to see Shi Lan¡¯s face as that of a real-life best friend, Shi Lan¡¯s expression had already changed, all within a few seconds.


    When their gazes met, Chen Beini felt like she was seeing a completely different person!


    In front of the camera, in Fan Yan¡¯s clear eyes, there was a hint of pride, yet she also showed affectionate closeness to her friend.


    Moreover, just before boarding the carriage, Fan Yan, lifting her skirt arrogantly, stepped on the coachman¡¯s back. Once aboard, she quickly patted the seat beside her and said to Jiang Zilin, ¡°What are you waiting for?¡±


    The detail in the performance left Director Tang speechless.


    But, facing two completely different personalities, Chen Beini and Gu Chengyu alike forgot their lines.


    ¡°Cut! Beini, what are you thinking about?¡± yelled Director Tang.


    ¡°Sorry¡­ Sorry, Director Tang,¡± Chen Beini apologized with a gesture, and when she turned around, Shi Lan had changed back to the Shi Lan she disliked. This all happened so quickly, or perhaps Shi Lan¡¯s speed of getting into and out of character was simply too fast, making Chen Beini¡¯s head spin.


    ¡°Is this the result of being in the industry for four years¡­ your life is just about defeating me?¡±


    Chen Beini was left speechless by Shi Lan¡¯s rebuff.


    At that moment, Sun Ling quickly approached with a cup of water, pointing to a fruit plate not far and asking, ¡°Mr. Yan had someone bring some fruit. Would you like some?¡±


    Even though they had just agreed to be friends the previous night, today he reverted to his usual attentiveness.


    All Shi Lan could do was pull out her phone and text, ¡°Friends? How about giving me some space, friend?¡±


    Mr. Yan: ¡°Support each other, take care of each other, that¡¯s what friends do.¡±

 Chapter 57 - Chapter 57: 057 So you got hit pretty hard last time, huh?

    Chapter 57: 057 So you got hit pretty hard last time, huh?


    Shi Lan: ¡°I¡¯m not going to take care of you.¡±


    This time, President Yan didn¡¯t reply, but waited for Shi Lan to look up, and then appeared in front of her.


    Shi Lan opened her mouth, thinking you damned man, wasting fortune is one thing, but skipping work every other day, is being the CEO of Huahai that easy?


    Yan Shixiu stood next to Shi Lan¡¯s seat, seriously looking at the fiery Shi Lan.


    Shi Lan felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, so she handed the water glass to Sun Ling and walked over, annoyed beyond belief, ¡°Yan¡­¡±


    ¡°I will take care of you.¡±


    Shi Lan was stunned, thinking the damned man must really be falling in love this time, sweet nothings one after another. Shi Lan, who had never enjoyed such treatment in her past life, now just wanted to chop off President Yan¡¯s damned head.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy right now, I don¡¯t have time to take care of you.¡± Having said that, Shi Lan turned and went back to sit between Chen Beini and Director Tang.


    Yan Shixiu watched the people and felt a bit more at ease, feeling a slight warmth in his heart, and then told his assistant, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ President Yan, are you not going to tell Miss An? You¡¯ve moved next door to her,¡± the assistant asked.


    ¡°No need, let¡¯s go.¡±


    She can find out herself after she cools down for a couple of days.


    Ever since he learned from Duan Langxi that he was an exception for Shi Lan, Yan Shixiu¡¯s heartbeat hadn¡¯t slowed down. Heartache and joy were intertwined, leaving him utterly unable to think, so he took action and immediately packed his luggage.


    Yan Shixiu¡¯s own company took on the resort hotel project nearby, which is the first branch of a luxury international hotel chain in Yancheng, which he highly values, so he personally came over to supervise the construction. Anyway, he thought this excuse was perfect.


    ¡°Is President Yan visiting the set again?¡± Director Tang, seeing Shi Lan and Yan Shixiu meet, couldn¡¯t help but ask her, ¡°If he cares so much about you, then that time you were hit was quite serious.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°Cough cough¡­¡±


    Ever since being teased by Yan Shixiu last night, she now couldn¡¯t face the word ¡°hit¡± directly anymore.


    Chen Beini¡¯s expression suddenly turned ugly, thinking that Shi Lan had spilled the beans about last night, so she asked, ¡°Director Tang knows about the accident President Yan caused too?¡±


    ¡°What else would you think? Does President Yan, the great CEO of Huahai, need to run to the set so diligently?¡±


    Chen Beini scrutinized Director Tang¡¯s expression, realized he seemed to only know about the car accident, and not about the affair being caught last night, so she relaxed.


    It seems that what An Lan said in her room last night wasn¡¯t nonsense, could it be that Yan Shixiu is so protective because he feels guilty for hitting her?


    Shi Lan kept silent, just listening to them rambling on about collisions¡­ the scene was rather intense.


    ¡°Enough, Beini, I¡¯ve always felt that your mind is clearer than Gu Chengyu, so I firmly believe you won¡¯t bring personal emotions into your work. Don¡¯t waste everyone¡¯s time anymore, both of you must finish the filming tasks for me today.¡±


    Chen Beini looked at Shi Lan with a complex expression.


    Because in front of Shi Lan, she completely lost the confidence of being a top actress.


    People always praised her for being spirited, for her acting skills, as the hope of the new generation, but in just that brief moment, she felt utterly inferior in front of Shi Lan: ¡°I¡­ wasn¡¯t being serious just now.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve never asked, when you released the screenshot of the conversation between An¡­ me and Gu Chengyu, did you ever think it could drive someone to death?¡± At that moment, Shi Lan asked a very sharp question.


    Chen Beini¡¯s face instantly turned a few shades paler.


    Standing very close to each other, after a few seconds of silence, Chen Beini suddenly said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that how it is in the entertainment circle? The constant strife and endless competition. If it weren¡¯t for me, you and President Yan would have had no connection. Do you know that last night President Yan even negotiated terms with me to give some of my resources to you? Besides, if I hadn¡¯t done that, you would never have found your place. That resource can be considered compensation I gave you, but whether you can hold onto it is up to you¡­¡±

 Chapter 58 - Chapter 58: 058 Unfamiliar

    Chapter 58: 058 Unfamiliar


    Shi Lan looked icily at Chen Beini, then raised her voice to the director, ¡°Director Tang, isn¡¯t it time to start shooting?¡±


    ¡°Actors in position!¡± Director Tang called out.


    Then, in front of everyone, Miss Shi demonstrated what it meant to utterly crush an opponent.


    Throughout the morning, Chen Beini kept NG-ing on set, and Shi Lan was hanging her out to dry.


    By the time the morning¡¯s scenes were finished, Shi Lan was relaxed, but Chen Beini had been scolded to the point of shedding a layer of skin.


    In the end, as Shi Lan left with her makeup still on, she said to Chen Beini, ¡°Sorry for taking it seriously this morning, but if I hadn¡¯t, you would never find your place. Performing like that must be your limit, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, by the way, just a friendly reminder, the scene this afternoon is ours again.¡±


    Chen Beini was left utterly livid.


    Shi Lan left the set indifferently, taking Sun Ling with her.


    On the way to the makeup room, Shi Lan sent a WeChat message to Yan Shixiu: ¡°Don¡¯t interfere too much with my personal affairs.¡±


    When Yan Shixiu saw it, his eyes stung with pain.


    Shi Lan: ¡°You had Chen Beini allocate resources to me, which is like putting me on the grill. Whether I accept it or not?¡±


    After reading the latest message, Yan Shixiu sighed lightly and replied, ¡°If Chen Beini is plotting against you, I have to make her pay a price. Moreover, the resources aren¡¯t coming directly to you, they need to be fought for. Are you afraid you can¡¯t beat her?¡±


    Reading the first half of the sentence, Miss Shi felt her spirits lifted, calming her previously irritable mood.


    So what she cared about wasn¡¯t the issue of resources or being humiliated by Chen Beini; she had never been afraid of such provocations. In the end, she disliked interference in her personal affairs and being squeezed in her personal space. These were the same pain points as in her past life.


    Shi Lan: ¡°What I like the least is others doing things behind my back. Isn¡¯t it better to tell me directly, friend!?¡±


    Yan Shixiu suddenly thought of the past life, when he didn¡¯t understand Shi Lan. He believed that many things could be left unsaid and that adults didn¡¯t need to make everything overly clear¡ªa lesson he had learned since childhood. However, this approach clearly didn¡¯t work with Shi Lan and had led to major communication issues between them.


    Iron Straight Lan preferred straight talk; all her cunning and schemes were reserved for the business world, but with people around her, she disliked cryptic or passive-aggressive talk.


    Moreover, it was rare today that she actually expressed her feelings directly.


    Perhaps this was the advantage of starting as friends, which was also why Shi Lan was willing to communicate normally with Duan Langxi.


    Therefore, Yan Shixiu¡¯s heart softened for a moment, and he replied, ¡°It won¡¯t happen again, everything will be in front of you.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°Being frank is the foundation of friendship, friend.¡±


    Yan Shixiu, feeling like the one being placated, finally smiled, ¡°Only you dare to run wild like this on the boss¡¯s head.¡±


    Shi Lan sent over a coffee emoji, feeling better.


    Sun Ling, at Shi Lan¡¯s side, occasionally caught glimpses of their chat conversation. Apart from surprise, she could not utter another word because she felt that the way Shi Lan and Yan Shixiu interacted and the way they spoke to each other didn¡¯t resemble that of a minor celebrity and a major CEO.


    Who dares to get angry and question Yan Shixiu to his face?


    Even Director Tang showed utmost politeness to CEO Yan, and as for Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini, they were even more unassertive, like mice before a cat. So why was it such a scene with Shi Lan?


    Could it be that CEO Yan is a masochist?


    The more dominant the woman, the more Yan Shixiu likes her?


    ¡°An Lan, are you really¡­ really not close with CEO Yan?¡± Sun Ling asked once again.


    Without hesitation, Shi Lan replied: ¡°Not close.¡±

 Chapter 59 - Chapter 59: 059 Its no use looking for me

    Chapter 59: 059 It¡¯s no use looking for me


    In the afternoon, all the filming was inside the studio, and Shi Lan had just finished with makeup when she already felt drenched in sweat.


    Chen Beini had been tormented by Shi Lan in the morning, and now, haunted by the psychological shadow of the experience, and given that Director Tang was a perfectionist, Chen Beini could only endure repeated ¡°whipping¡± in her scenes.


    Sun Ling waited alongside Shi Lan for their scenes, holding a small fan for her and noticing Chen Beini¡¯s lack of spirit from the torment, she couldn¡¯t help feeling a sense of satisfaction and even wanted to laugh.


    She finally understood what Shi Lan had meant when she said her temper was terrible, but her ability was solid.


    ¡°An Lan, do you want some water? Mr. Yan¡¯s assistant brought over some ice and fruit to cool off,¡± Sun Ling offered.


    Shi Lan shook her head, feeling irritated by the heat.


    At that moment, Gu Chengyu, who had been absent for the whole day, arrived at the set with loads of coffee and snacks, looking nothing like the arrogant superstar he had been before.


    Gu Chengyu distributed the drinks to the crew members and had his assistant deliver one to Shi Lan. Shi Lan, without even glancing at it, said directly, ¡°How am I worthy of drinking a big star¡¯s coffee? Take it back.¡±


    Others who were not giving face included Director Tang, but these two individuals were precisely the ones deciding whether Gu Chengyu could return to the production or not.


    With a bashful manner, Gu Chengyu placed the coffees on their seats and then started playing the role of a humble assistant running errands.


    Chen Beini, who was already upset from being schooled by Shi Lan, saw her boyfriend groveling and immediately pulled Gu Chengyu aside, ¡°Otherwise, let¡¯s both quit the acting. Director Tang and that An Lan are too bullying.¡±


    Unexpectedly, Gu Chengyu pushed Chen Beini away and asked, ¡°Do you realize your acting skills are not up to par, and you are embarrassing yourself in front of An Lan?¡±


    Chen Beini¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Gu Chengyu.


    ¡°Beini, stop being capricious. The agency can make you a star and they can also put you on ice. You can¡¯t overpower them, don¡¯t you understand? This night, I¡¯ve experienced what I never want to repeat¡ªI don¡¯t want to be replaced, I don¡¯t want my hard-earned career to vanish into thin air. So if An Lan wants an apology, I will apologize, if Director Tang wants sincerity, I will give it fully. Just take care of yourself,¡± Gu Chengyu said sternly.


    In fact, Gu Chengyu¡¯s mental fortitude was much weaker than Shi Lan had imagined.


    She thought he could hold out for a few more days.


    How could she not teach a lesson to such an inflated popular artist?


    If the agency were smart, they would administer a more potent lesson to Gu Chengyu. Unexpectedly, right after filming a couple of scenes that afternoon, the production¡¯s more potent lesson arrived.


    The ¡°new leading man¡± found by Gu Chengyu¡¯s company had been brought in for a makeup test, and Director Tang welcomed him with a smile.


    At this moment, Shi Lan saw that Gu Chengyu¡¯s face had turned completely pale.


    The female boss gave a faint smile, shifted her gaze back to her own script, and focused on preparing for the next scene. Then, Gu Chengyu awkwardly approached, came up to Shi Lan, and offered her the coffee on the table: ¡°An Lan, I¡¯m sorry. For everything that¡¯s happened before, I hope you can forgive me. But I really can¡¯t afford to lose this role.¡±


    Shi Lan looked up, pushed away the coffee Gu Chengyu presented, and said, ¡°Your loss of this role isn¡¯t because of me, but because you aren¡¯t professional enough, your acting isn¡¯t strong enough, and your abilities don¡¯t match your temper. You indeed have a lot of fans, and you¡¯re very popular, but you¡¯re just a star, not an actor. You lack not only a reverence for actors and their roles but also respect for your counterparts. Therefore, it¡¯s pointless to come to me.¡±


    After saying this, Shi Lan turned to Sun Ling and stretched out her hand: ¡°The fruit.¡±


    Sun Ling, feeling invigorated by the conversation, quickly passed the fruit: ¡°I¡¯ll feed you. Mr. Yan¡¯s assistant said these are imported and really sweet.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± acknowledged Shi Lan, glancing again at Gu Chengyu and obediently opening her mouth.

 Chapter 60 - Chapter 60: 060 I really dont like him anymore

    Chapter 60: 060 I really don¡¯t like him anymore


    Shi Lan¡¯s words, like a bolt from the blue, struck Gu Chengyu hard on the head.


    Because he had always been held in high esteem by fans, and people around him made no demands of him, he gradually lost himself, feeling as if he were invincible.


    It was not until the agency considered replacing him that he truly sensed the crisis.


    Shi Lan was absolutely right; he, relying on his status as a popular young actor, behaved arrogantly and was complacent. He strayed from professionalism, not to mention acting skills. Since entering the industry, his schedule had always been packed, appearing busy but never really spending time on honing his acting skills.


    It turned out that popularity, traffic, and status could not keep an actor invincible; the only real grounding force was solid capability.


    For example, Shi Lan, she would never feel fearful about being replaced.


    Having realized these truths, Gu Chengyu quickened his pace, looking for Director Tang, knowing he had indeed been wrong.


    Upon finding Director Tang, he confessed and wept profusely, completely shedding his persona as a popular figure and its associated burdens. Everyone on set saw his tear-stricken face, thinking Director Tang had really put Gu Chengyu through the wringer, forcing him to abandon even the face of a superstar.


    Director Tang still did not agree immediately, but his attitude softened considerably, ¡°If you¡¯ve truly understood, let¡¯s try another scene tomorrow. If you still can¡¯t overcome your superstar complex, you won¡¯t need to come back.¡±


    Gu Chengyu held Director Tang¡¯s hand, extremely grateful, and expressed that he would give his all.


    Seeing Gu Chengyu so miserably tormented also shook Chen Beini, who then poured more effort into her scenes with Shi Lan that afternoon, still ending up disastrously defeated, but Director Tang knew she had tried her best.


    When Shi Lan finished shooting, the horizon was filled with the setting sun, and Sun Ling followed her, holding a fruit plate, leaving the coffee Gu Chengyu had sent on a small table beside her chair.


    Gu Chengyu spent the entire afternoon on set, stealing tricks of the trade, watching Shi Lan and Chen Beini performing opposite each other. As he saw Shi Lan leaving the set, his gaze followed her until she disappeared.


    He thought that his relationship with An Lan was like the cup of coffee he had sent her.


    An Lan truly no longer liked him, but he, on the other hand, seemed to be the one unable to let go.


    ¡­


    After returning to her room, Shi Lan quickly washed up, and upon exiting the bathroom, she met Sun Ling¡¯s admiring gaze: ¡°An Lan, do you know how much I like you now? Your persona as the ¡®Revenge Queen¡¯ is really cool.¡±


    Shi Lan looked at Sun Ling puzzled, wondering what she was on about.


    ¡°I just found out that the way to deal with Gu Chengyu was suggested by you and President Yan; thinking about Gu Chengyu sobbing in the crew today makes me so thrilled!¡±


    Shi Lan chuckled and then changed her phone¡¯s passcode.


    ¡°Oh no, I didn¡¯t mean to see it, but how do you know all that insider stuff?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we have to check the notice for tomorrow?¡± Shi Lan did not want to deal with her.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Sun Ling unwillingly got up from the sofa, twisting her body like a worm.


    Just then, Shi Lan¡¯s phone screen lit up; it was a message from Tang Ze: ¡°The day after tomorrow there¡¯s an audition for Glory¡¯s endorsement, I¡¯ve already asked Director Tang for permission, get ready.¡±


    Seeing this, Shi Lan scoffed; this must be a resource that Chen Beini had ¡°yielded.¡±


    The next message was from President Yan: ¡°I¡¯m having dinner with Director Tang, do you want to join us? It¡¯s at the rooftop of the hotel.¡±


    Miss Shi Lan did not feel like moving and directly declined: ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s goose liver air-flown from France and caviar from Russia¡­¡±


    Upon seeing this, Shi Lan shamelessly retracted her refusal and replied: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll be right there!¡±

 Chapter 61 - Chapter 61: 061 What brother and sister, my ass!

    Chapter 61: 061 What brother and sister, my ass!


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t put on any makeup, completely bare-faced, she casually threw on a black dress and headed up to the rooftop.


    The rooftop of the Lanting Hotel was an aerial swimming pool, and a small part of it had been turned into an observation restaurant. At this moment, there were only Yan Shixiu and Director Tang.


    ¡°That kid An Lan has some real acting talent, plus she¡¯s got a strong backbone. It¡¯s been so many years since I¡¯ve seen such an actor,¡± Director Tang praised while drinking, ¡°You really found a gem there.¡±


    Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t speak, occasionally raising his hand for a toast with Director Tang.


    By the time An Lan reached the top floor, Director Tang was already tipsy, still lucid, but his cheeks were flushed.


    In contrast, Yan Shixiu was his usual immaculately dressed self. Seeing Shi Lan, he crooked his finger, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Shi Lan rolled her eyes. If it weren¡¯t for the thought of foie gras, she would not sacrifice her sleep just to watch two stinky men drink at night.


    A moment later, Shi Lan took a seat beside Yan Shixiu with utmost naturalness, took the cutlery he handed her, and started eating with both hands right away.


    Seeing this, Director Tang laughed, ¡°So unruly.¡±


    ¡°Director Tang, eating with manners is just tiring, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I never see you following the rules with President Yan,¡± Director Tang said and then took another gulp of his drink.


    ¡°Director Tang doesn¡¯t know, the method to deal with Chengyu was An Lan¡¯s suggestion,¡± Yan Shixiu suddenly mentioned with a tone of immense pride.


    Director Tang was stunned for a moment, then looked at Shi Lan in shock, ¡°Her? It was her?¡±


    Shi Lan was focused on eating her foie gras, paying no mind to the two drunkards.


    Unexpectedly at this moment, Director Tang suddenly slapped the table and burst into laughter, ¡°So, Chengyu took such a big fall this time thanks to you? It¡¯s my first time dealing with an influencer like this. President Yan didn¡¯t see Chengyu¡¯s crying scene this afternoon, but I must say, this strategy is simply brilliant. Now we¡¯ll see who else dares to act up in my team.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t hide his appreciation for Shi Lan at all. As he spoke, he also took away Shi Lan¡¯s glass of wine, ¡°No filming tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, you two really look like bickering siblings,¡± Director Tang chimed in.


    ¡°Hmm, a brother caring for his sister is only natural,¡± President Yan unmercifully took away Shi Lan¡¯s glass of wine and replaced it with warm water.


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Brother and sister, my ass!


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t know what Yan Shixiu had said to Director Tang that led him to a wrong interpretation of a sleazy man¡¯s intention. Actually, this was good too, since it reduced unnecessary misunderstandings. Nonetheless, Shi Lan still stepped on Yan Shixiu¡¯s foot under the table, take that for being flirtatious!


    President Yan took the kick without changing his expression, and seeing Miss Shi¡¯s resentful look brought him pleasure.


    Shi Lan glared at Yan Shixiu, then gracefully put her cutlery down and said to the two men, ¡°I¡¯ve lost my appetite, please enjoy your meal.¡±


    ¡°Right, get some rest early after you go down,¡± Yan Shixiu replied without making it difficult for her.


    Shi Lan stood up, pushing her chair back, grabbed her phone, and left. However, she had only just left the stairs when she received a WeChat message from Yan Shixiu, it was a voice note, thirty seconds long.


    Shi Lan pressed play and then brought the phone to her ear. Yan Shixiu¡¯s voice came through but it was not the usual coldness; this time, his tone had a warm hue, unbearably gentle.


    It was a very soft and gentle English song. At the end, he added one more thing, Goodnight.


    When Yan Shixiu spoke English, it was a very pure British accent, extremely soothing to listen to, making Shi Lan replay it several times.

 Chapter 62 - Chapter 62: Its none of my business.

    Chapter 62: It¡¯s none of my business.


    In the room, when Sun Ling saw Shi Lan return, she playfully teased her, ¡°So, how was Yan¡¯s midnight snack?¡±


    Shi Lan took a seat on the sofa and leisurely touched her stomach, ¡°I finally had a few bites of decent food.¡±


    ¡°Yan is really good to you. By the way, tomorrow morning is your duel scene with Gu Chengyu, and in the afternoon you have a blast scene. Digest a bit and try to rest early, otherwise I¡¯m afraid Gu Chengyu will drag the time on forever tomorrow.¡±


    Shi Lan nodded. She planned to read the script and digest for a while when suddenly she received a strange message, ¡°An Lan, I want to talk to you.¡±


    Shi Lan glanced at it and ignored it directly. When on earth would phones have a feature that completely buries someone once they¡¯re blocked, not just blocking their calls but also their messages? Isn¡¯t it disgusting how they still occasionally come back to haunt you by trying to claw out of their grave?


    Forty minutes later, Shi Lan climbed back into bed, hugging Yan¡¯s body pillow and listening to a lullaby Yan had sent, feeling completely enveloped by a sense of security, and then she drifted off to sleep contentedly.


    Meanwhile, Yan Shixiu, who had come down from the rooftop, washed up and was watching a drama of ¡°King Lear¡± in his room.


    From his room¡¯s balcony, looking over to the side, one could tell that the next door was dark, indicating that Miss Shi had already fallen asleep.


    Goodnight, sweet dreams.


    ¡­


    The next morning, on the set of ¡°Smoke¡±.


    Shi Lan, having finished her makeup, sat in a chair backstage reading the script, while Gu Chengyu not far away occasionally cast questioning glances her way.


    That was because the message Gu Chengyu sent last night was completely ignored.


    ¡°An Lan¡­ don¡¯t you feel, today Gu Chengyu¡¯s looks at you have a certain indescribable quality?¡± Sun Ling, sitting behind Shi Lan, was holding a small fan early in the morning.


    ¡°None of my business,¡± Shi Lan responded while looking at the script.


    Not far off, some of Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans came to visit the set, occasionally letting out a few screams and pointing fingers at Shi Lan.


    Shi Lan ignored them all, until it was time to start filming.


    Perhaps having learned his lesson, Gu Chengyu was noticeably more humble, and although he still couldn¡¯t keep up with Shi Lan¡¯s pace during the morning shoot, he was trying his best to adjust.


    After shooting two scenes, Shi Lan changed her outfit and sat down in a chair to wait. At that time, Gu Chengyu, holding a coffee bought by his assistant, approached Shi Lan again, ¡°Want some?¡±


    Shi Lan was looking at her phone and looked up to see Gu Chengyu, shaking her head, ¡°No, thanks.¡±


    Gu Chengyu didn¡¯t insist and retracted his outstretched hand, then asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you reply to my message?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Shi Lan put down her phone and laughed, ¡°Why do you think I didn¡¯t reply? I don¡¯t want to be disturbed by you, I don¡¯t want any private contact with you, I don¡¯t want to waste my time with you. Which one do you prefer?¡±


    Gu Chengyu, ¡°Are you still mad at me?¡±


    Shi Lan laughed off her annoyance and shook her head, ¡°Please, if it¡¯s not about shooting, don¡¯t talk to me, it¡¯s exhausting.¡±


    With a refusal this clear, and with Sun Ling returning as well, Gu Chengyu could only walk away with his coffee.


    This man was not only narcissistic but also incredibly clueless. Compared to dog-like men who, although secretly flirtatious, are empathetic¡ªknowing what she likes and dislikes¡ªYan never steps on a landmine. Not long after Gu Chengyu left, his fans who came to visit the set today uploaded photos of the two with physical contact during shooting and Gu Chengyu offering Shi Lan coffee onto the internet.


    ¡°This woman, she still won¡¯t let our brother go.¡±


    ¡°Green tea, get lost!¡±


    ¡°She said she turned black, but she still keeps WeiBo posts about our brother, I knew it was fake!¡±

 Chapter 63 - Chapter 63: 063 Do you understand care? Care!

    Chapter 63: 063 Do you understand care? Care!


    Sun Ling saw Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans were smearing Shi Lan online, so he sneakily spent his whole noon defending her on the internet without stopping.


    After Shi Lan saw it, she roughly knew what it was about, directly canceled her previous Weibo account, then registered a new one, posting an extremely provocative first post.


    @Directly addressing the smearer, An Lan: ¡°Deleting posts is tiresome, exploding accounts quicker, try messing around again, scandal warning.¡±


    Seeing the message, Sun Ling, who had been strenuously dealing with the trolls, said, ¡°¡­¡±


    Could it be any more straightforward and cool!


    Moreover, Shi Lan had disabled comments on her post, so even if Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans were itching with hatred, they could only watch helplessly.


    After saying she¡¯d turned hostile, they still messed around, with some fans getting thrilled, liking Shi Lan¡¯s vengeful persona, they commented:


    @It¡¯s just Li Sansui: ¡°Even blowing up her own Weibo, isn¡¯t her attitude obvious?¡±


    @Sea Moon: ¡°Such an uncompromising move!¡±


    @Minozi-Changqing: ¡°I feel like Gu Chengyu and his fans are so narcissistic!¡±


    ¡­


    When Gu Chengyu found out about this, it was already time for the afternoon shoot; he hadn¡¯t expected Shi Lan¡¯s attitude towards him to be so resolute. An Lan¡¯s previous Weibo had over six thousand posts, and ninety percent of them were related to Gu Chengyu, yet, Shi Lan had canceled it without any hesitation.


    Gu Chengyu was mixed with feelings of reluctance and pain because he could feel Shi Lan wanted to completely cut him off cleanly ¨C something he had long hoped for, but now, he couldn¡¯t even sever ties with Shi Lan.


    But now, he was already in a public relationship, with Chen Beini standing right by his side, and moreover, Shi Lan simply ignored him.


    It wasn¡¯t just that Shi Lan ignored him. During waiting times, she¡¯d rather be criticized as unsociable than stay together with Gu Chengyu.


    The afternoon¡¯s shoot had four scenes, two of which were with the National Couple, and the other two were group scenes, with the explosive scenes being shot in conjunction with the National Couple.


    Director Tang initially feared that the trio¡¯s entanglements might cause difficulties, but seeing Shi Lan¡¯s ¡®keep away from strangers¡¯ demeanor, his worries were completely unnecessary.


    Apart from shooting, she didn¡¯t care about anyone else.


    Since it was a major scene, and because the staff responsible for the explosions had to repeatedly confirm the safety of the actors, the waiting time was quite extended.


    At that moment, Shi Lan sat in her seat, searching for news about Glory, an illustrious but demanding sponsor; furthermore, Tang Ze had just notified her through WeChat yesterday, not even bothering to call, which showed his perfunctory attitude, clearly lacking interest in persuading her.


    However, there still was some room for maneuver. Shi Lan had previously met the head of Glory¡¯s European branch at a party, a cordial man in his early fifties.


    Sun Ling, unaware of what Shi Lan was exactly up to behind her, only saw that she was typing furiously, and all in English.


    Sun Ling was momentarily taken aback, wondering, was An Lan¡¯s English really that good?


    Just then, Shi Xiu¡¯s WeChat message popped up, ¡°Is there an explosive scene?¡±


    Shi Lan picked up her phone, took a glance, and replied, ¡°Hmm, a small one.¡±


    Shi Xiu: ¡°Don¡¯t get hurt.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°Of course not.¡±


    As for whether she¡¯d be sabotaged by a lousy teammate, Shi Lan thought that it was really hard to say.


    Shi Xiu made his point and didn¡¯t continue messaging Shi Lan; instead, he took actual steps by sending a medical team to wait on set, and at the same time, he sent imported fruits and desserts from a hotel to Shi Lan.


    Seeing this, Sun Ling was utterly astounded and said to Shi Lan, ¡°An Lan, Shi Xiu is so good to you, shouldn¡¯t you also take some initiative to care for Shi Xiu?¡±


    Shi Lan whirled around, looking at Sun Ling, ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°You trifling woman, only know how to enjoy, but never to give back.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Miss Shi thought herself to be very generous, in her past life anything Shi Xiu fancied, she bought it for him, kept him very pampered.


    Seeing that she still didn¡¯t get it, Sun Ling gestured with his hands, ¡°Since you¡¯re friends, if he looks after you, you should also look after him, that¡¯s what we call mutual support and care.¡±


    ¡°Like how?¡±


    ¡°Like now, quickly order a coffee for Shi Xiu, and hand it to him while cooing, ¡®You¡¯ve also had a hard day.''¡±


    Iron Straight Lan scratched her head; in her previous life, she had given Shi Xiu lots of gifts, surely not a hundred but at least eighty, and never once did he show he liked them.


    A cup of coffee?


    ¡°Would he really like that?¡±


    ¡°Is it about the coffee? It¡¯s about care, understand? Care!¡±


    Care my ass, Old Man Shi never told her about true love in this world, only that everyone is inhuman!


    Despite complaining, Miss Shi still took out her phone, stared at Sun Ling, and asked, ¡°How do I order? I¡¯ve never ordered takeout before¡­¡±

 Chapter 64 - Chapter 64: 064 Make good money

    Chapter 64: 064 Make good money


    Sun Ling took her phone, downloaded a food delivery app for her, found the most prestigious coffee shop on the market, and asked her, ¡°You probably also don¡¯t know what Mr. Yan likes to drink, so should I just randomly select a flavor?¡±


    ¡°American coffee.¡± Shi Lan answered without hesitation.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Sun Ling felt that Shi Lan was making fun of Yan Shixiu.


    ¡°Since you were asked to order, just order.¡± After all, they were husband and wife; she could still remember this preference of his.


    Sun Ling placed the order accordingly, entered Huahai¡¯s address, and after completing it, she returned the phone to Shi Lan, ¡°Tell him about it.¡±


    Miss Shi, holding the phone, suddenly didn¡¯t know how to explain because she found that this was much harder than giving directives in the business arena.


    ¡°You should care for each other; he has done so much for you already¡­¡±


    Unable to stand Sun Ling¡¯s nagging, Shi Lan finally typed a line in the chat box: ¡°Ordered you a coffee, then¡­ make good money.¡±


    Yan Shixiu was meeting with a client. When he received the WeChat message, he was surprised for a moment, then his lips curled up. It seemed that Miss Shi could also send some normal things.


    Half an hour later, the assistant brought the coffee upstairs, somewhat puzzled, ¡°Mr. Yan, if you wanted coffee, I could have asked the secretary to buy it¡­¡±


    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Yan Shixiu, in front of the desk, reached out to his assistant.


    The assistant took the coffee out of the packaging and handed it to Yan Shixiu.


    Mr. Yan held it in his hand, glanced at the flavor, ¡°American coffee?¡±


    It seemed she wasn¡¯t completely indifferent or forgetful. With this thought, Yan Shixiu immediately instructed his assistant: ¡°Send out a notice, I want to see the reports from all departments by 5 pm; also, have a car ready to go to the film set at 5:15.¡±


    The explosives scenes unsettled him, especially concerning the National Couple, who were always targeting Shi Lan both overtly and covertly.


    ¡­


    The explosives scene was the final shot, taking place near evening when Qin Zhenglin was ambushed and attacked.


    Concerned with actor safety, Director Tang required that the main actors follow the explosives expert during positioning and must know the exact locations of the bomb devices.


    ¡°I have emphasized the positions for the explosions repeatedly. You must strictly follow my instructions. You¡¯ll need to keep running until the last explosion point, where all three of you must lie down together,¡± the explosives expert communicated seriously with Shi Lan and the others, ¡°Any questions?¡±


    Shi Lan and Gu Chengyu both nodded, but Chen Beini¡¯s face was somewhat pale.


    Seeing this, the explosives expert then said to Chen Beini, ¡°If Beini feels unable to proceed, let the stunt double take over and we¡¯ll reshoot your scene later.¡±


    ¡°I can do it!¡± Chen Beini rejected the explosives expert¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t an occasion to be stubborn. Although nowadays the danger from explosives is minimal, we cannot take risks. If you don¡¯t feel mentally fit, step back, so you don¡¯t impede the others,¡± the explosives expert solemnly warned Chen Beini.


    Chen Beini¡¯s gaze wandered between Shi Lan and Gu Chengyu, then she firmly nodded, ¡°I really can do it.¡±


    The explosives expert, having no choice, could only reemphasize, ¡°Remember to follow my commands! Male actors, be sure to protect the ladies. Get ready.¡±


    The atmosphere on the set was tense, firstly because it was already evening and everyone was hot, and secondly because the explosives scene required high concentration.


    No one spoke on the set when suddenly, Sun Ling, who was holding a towel for Shi Lan, realized someone was beside her. When she turned around, she jumped in surprise, ¡°Mr. Yan¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Yan Shixiu responded indifferently, then shifted his gaze to Shi Lan, not far off.

 Chapter 65 - Chapter 65: Otherwise, youll lose your life.

    Chapter 65: Otherwise, you¡¯ll lose your life.


    The explosives expert pressed the detonation button while shouting through a megaphone, ¡°Run!¡±


    With a loud bang, the explosive device burst into flames a meter away from the trio. Gu Chengyu shielded the two and hurried forward. At that moment, Chen Beini, with wobbly legs, lunged forward and almost fell, but in her panic, her right leg got hooked around Shi Lan, causing Shi Lan to trip over her left foot and fall to the ground. The spot where she fell was less than half a meter away from the second blast point.


    ¡°An Lan!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    Someone on the set screamed in fright, especially the explosives expert, who broke out in a cold sweat.


    The incident unfolded in the blink of an eye. As Shi Lan lay on the ground after being tripped, all she felt was a loud noise and scorching heat.


    ¡°An Lan!¡± Sun Ling screamed.


    Director Tang and the rest of the crew members rushed over. Gu Chengyu also shook off Chen Beini and circled around to Shi Lan, but just as he reached out to embrace her, someone pushed him hard from behind¡ªit was Yan Shixiu!


    The crew didn¡¯t even know where he had come from; he¡¯d already pushed past Gu Chengyu and scooped up Shi Lan, ¡°Shi¡­ An Lan, An Lan?¡±


    Seeing this scene, Gu Chengyu felt a mix of emotions, but¡­


    ¡­he suddenly realized he didn¡¯t have the right to comfort Shi Lan.


    Shi Lan leaned against Yan Shixiu¡¯s chest, regaining some clarity in her mind, though her ears were still ringing, ¡°I¡¯m fine, just tinnitus.¡±


    ¡°Doctor, call the doctor over,¡± Yan Shixiu turned and immediately instructed an assistant, then seeing Shi Lan covered in dust, he began to check her for any other injuries.


    Shi Lan shook her head, her left ear cleared up, and she sat up straight from Yan Shixiu¡¯s embrace, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not hurt.¡±


    Yan Shixiu, without caring for anything else, directly picked her up and hurried to the medical vehicle he had prepared for today¡¯s explosion scene.


    Shi Lan lay on the chair in disarray, watching Yan Shixiu grip her hand nervously, feeling an indescribable emotion inside because the sensation from that brief moment was too similar to the scene of the car accident in Thailand. So, she subconsciously gripped Yan Shixiu¡¯s hand back.


    ¡°Mr. Yan, Miss An is alright. The explosives expert is very professional, and the explosive devices are safe. Tinnitus is a normal reaction, but there shouldn¡¯t be major problems,¡± the doctor said after the inspection, addressing Yan Shixiu.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    At that moment, Director Tang and Gu Chengyu also came over, saying, ¡°Luckily, it was a false alarm. An Lan, you can go rest, especially since you¡¯ve requested leave for tomorrow anyway.¡±


    At this point, the entire set was silent, no one daring to speak, as they all seemed to feel the icy aura emanating from Yan Shixiu.


    ¡°The one who insisted on being on the scene in person, come out,¡± Yan Shixiu¡¯s voice was low and coldly clear. With that one sentence, people felt chills down their spines.


    Chen Beini, frightened to the core with a pale face, was nevertheless dragged in front of Yan Shixiu by Gu Chengyu.


    Gu Chengyu was also angry because Chen Beini had put Shi Lan through such a scare.


    ¡°Yan¡­ I¡­ It wasn¡¯t on purpose,¡± Chen Beini stuttered in fear, nearly bursting into tears.


    ¡°You should be grateful that An Lan isn¡¯t hurt; otherwise, you would have been finished,¡± Yan Shixiu stated.


    No one dared to speak, hardly daring to breathe, because they knew that Yan Shixiu¡¯s words were far from a joke.


    ¡°From now on! Whether you do it intentionally or not, if An Lan gets hurt while on set, I will hold you accountable. I won¡¯t settle the score with you right now; we can take our time once the shooting is over,¡± Yan Shixiu declared.

 Chapter 66 - Chapter 66: Could you please close the door?

    Chapter 66: Could you please close the door?


    At that moment, it seemed that only Shi Lan could breathe freely.


    Yan Shixiu was truly angry, she knew, having seen it before in their past lives, but she had never seen him this angry before like today.


    Chen Beini was so scared that she burst into tears, standing still unable to utter a word, tears continuously falling.


    Shi Lan, annoyed by Chen Beini¡¯s innocent act, stood up straight and said to her, ¡°If you continue to undervalue life, you will eventually pay with your own life, and I will watch how far you can go.¡±


    After speaking, Shi Lan rose from her chair, took Yan Shixiu¡¯s hand, and said to Director Tang, ¡°Director Tang, I¡¯m okay.¡±


    ¡°Hmm, go back and rest well,¡± Director Tang nodded.


    Fearing that Yan Shixiu might actually flay Chen Beini alive, Shi Lan pulled him toward the hotel instead, Sun Ling and Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant followed, their eyes all fixed on the held hands. The set suddenly regained its calm, Director Tang and the other crew members also lost the drive to scold Chen Beini, given that Yan Shixiu¡¯s rebuke had been quite severe.


    ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day,¡± Director Tang, also startled, decided to take a break for the night.


    Chen Beini was still standing there, crying very sadly.


    Gu Chengyu stood by her side, equally at a loss for words.


    After a long while, Chen Beini sobbed and asked Gu Chengyu, ¡°Just now, were you about to embrace An Lan?¡±


    ¡°That was dynamite, she almost got hurt because of you, what exactly are you trying to prove?¡± Gu Chengyu retorted angrily at Chen Beini.


    ¡°Because I can¡¯t stand to see the two of you alone together, is that okay?¡± After speaking, Chen Beini cried and ran off, leaving Gu Chengyu alone with mixed feelings.


    ¡­


    After returning to the hotel, Shi Lan naturally let go of Yan Shixiu¡¯s hand and said, ¡°I¡¯m okay now, I¡¯ll wash up and go to sleep. I have a sponsorship audition tomorrow, you should go back.¡±


    Yan Shixiu looked at his now empty palm, quiet for two seconds, ¡°I¡¯ll leave after you¡¯ve fallen asleep.¡±


    ¡°President Yan, you coming in and out of my room will cause rumors,¡± Shi Lan reminded him, ¡°Do you know how hard it is for a small-time artist like me to avoid scandals to the extent that I even blew up my own Weibo account?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we friends? Just a friend worried about you.¡±


    Shi Lan looked at Yan Shixiu¡¯s expression, recalled his anxious demeanor earlier, and relented, ¡°Come in.¡±


    Then, she instructed Sun Ling and Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant, ¡°Would you mind¡­ closing the door?¡±


    Sun Ling and Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant, who were keen to hear the gossip, were unexpectedly shut out just like that.


    Once inside, Shi Lan immediately went to grab a towel, ¡°Help yourself, then. After all, I¡¯m not sure what friends are supposed to do. I¡¯ll start cleaning up.¡±


    ¡°Chen Beini, do you want me to replace her?¡±


    Hearing Yan Shixiu¡¯s question, Shi Lan, holding the towel and wiping her face, replied, ¡°You know the right answer, why bother asking me?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t about indulging Chen Beini, but replacing her would cause Shi Lan greater harm and impact. Considering the multitude fans of the National Couple, not to mention the external public opinion, what if the new leading lady was worse than Chen Beini?


    ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t replace her either.¡±


    In their past lives, although their marital relationship was strained, their thought process in handling matters was consistent, and they always had a tacit understanding.


    Perhaps because it was only the two of them in the room, a space tight enough to keep it closed, Yan Shixiu seemed to regain his rationality and calmed down, returning to his usually polite and refined demeanor, and gestured to Shi Lan, ¡°Come here.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Shi Lan asked, walking over with the towel.


    Yan Shixiu took the towel from her, pressed on her shoulders, and ordered, ¡°Tilt your head.¡±


    Shi Lan obediently tilted her head, and then felt Yan Shixiu wiping her ears with the towel.


    The two were very close, close enough to feel each other¡¯s breath.


    It was familiar, affectionate, and irresistibly attractive¡­


    ¡°Tomorrow, the Glory audition, are you confident?¡±


    Shi Lan snapped out of it and answered, ¡°Isn¡¯t that the gig you found for me? Chen Beini is a top-tier artist, how could they possibly fancy me? I am just going to be humiliated.¡±


    However, after Yan Shixiu finished wiping her ears, he smiled and said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that.¡±


    Because you are Shi Lan.

 Chapter 67 - Chapter 67: 067 You shouldnt stay so close to General Yan

    Chapter 67: 067 You shouldn¡¯t stay so close to General Yan


    Shi Lan bent over, arching her back, and pulled the towel from Yan Shixiu¡¯s hands, then used her chin to point at the door behind her, ¡°Mr. Yan, is it time to say goodbye?¡±


    Yan Shixiu looked at her, knowing she was rushing him out, and countered, ¡°If I lived nearby, could I stay a bit longer?¡±


    ¡°Why would you stay here?¡± Shi Lan straightened up and asked with her arms crossed, ¡°Besides, how close can it be?¡±


    Yan Shixiu casually stretched out his hand and pointed next door.


    Then, Miss Shi promptly kicked Mr. Yan out of the room.


    You dog of a man, chasing after a minor artist, could you be more shameless than me!


    Outside, Sun Ling and Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant stood dumbfounded, watching as Shi Lan pushed Yan Shixiu out, yet both still had that popcorn-watching expression.


    The door slammed shut, Yan Shixiu straightened his jacket and said to his assistant, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Then, Sun Ling watched in shock as Yan Shixiu took his assistant to the room next door!


    ¡°Next door?!!¡± How thrilling is that?


    ¡­


    In the middle of the night, while writing an email under the lamp, Shi Lan occasionally glanced next door, thinking that since Yan Shixiu was there, perhaps she should try letting go of her human-shaped pillow tonight. Though she didn¡¯t get to hug Yan Shixiu in person, being only a wall apart technically counted as sharing the same bed, right?


    Thinking this, Shi Lan prepared to hop into bed and kick the human-shaped pillow off.


    However, at that moment, the doorbell rang.


    Shi Lan checked the time, it was half past eleven at night. Considering the incident with the catch last time, Shi Lan became more cautious, walked barefoot to the door, and asked, ¡°Who is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me¡­¡± came Gu Chengyu¡¯s voice from outside, ¡°An Lan, don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯ve brought an assistant. You tripped this evening, so I¡¯ve brought you some medicinal liquor, otherwise, your legs will definitely ache tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Shi Lan said through the door, ¡°Go back. The best way you can take care of me is to not look for me privately.¡±


    Gu Chengyu, hearing Shi Lan¡¯s refusal, didn¡¯t insist but left the medicinal liquor by her door and added, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I will clarify those rumors for you in the future, but you should keep your distance from Mr. Yan. These capitalists in the entertainment industry all have their agendas.¡±


    Capitalist¡¯s own Miss Shi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Neighboring capitalist heir Mr. Yan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Shi Lan was speechless and didn¡¯t respond any further.


    Fearing being seen, Gu Chengyu sighed and left with his assistant from in front of Shi Lan¡¯s room.


    What was up with these stinky men? Not appreciating someone when they¡¯re alive, but crowding around when they¡¯re practically dead?


    Listening for the absence of noise outside, Shi Lan locked her door, then received a WeChat message from Mr. Yan: ¡°?¡±


    Miss Shi rolled her eyes and replied, ¡°You and him alike, keep your distance from me.¡±


    Mr. Yan: ¡°I moved here because there is a project starting nearby, convenient for supervision. Also, your assistant told me about your severe insomnia problem.¡±


    Connecting the dots to that human-shaped pillow, Shi Lan suddenly understood, thanks to Sun Ling the loudspeaker.


    Shi Lan: ¡°Understood.¡±


    In Shi Lan¡¯s heart, her and Yan Shixiu¡¯s issues were internal, to be resolved through internal communication, but Gu Chengyu¡¯s matter was different.


    She didn¡¯t understand why this deep-well ice suddenly changed his attitude towards her. Could it be just because she no longer liked that idiot, he thought he became desirable again? And yet, despite having a CP, he still sent her coffee and medicinal liquor, as if she had all the time in the world?

 Chapter 68 - Chapter 68: 068 Your mouth is really venomous now

    Chapter 68: 068 Your mouth is really venomous now


    The next morning, Shi Lan woke up in bed and realized that the real-life presence of Yan Shixiu indeed had a more substantial impact than a pillow. It seemed that during her beloved scoundrel¡¯s hotel stay, she could put away her pillow for a while.


    Since today she had an interview at Glory, Tang Ze appeared early in the hotel lobby to pick her up and head out.


    ¡°Why are you bringing a computer to an interview?¡± Tang Ze couldn¡¯t help asking when he saw Sun Ling carrying Shi Lan¡¯s computer.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be useful somehow,¡± replied Shi Lan.


    In truth, both of them knew very well that Glory had called quite perfunctorily. Although they had informed Shi Lan to come for an interview, it was merely a formality because Chen Beini had referred someone to them. So, Glory was just making a show of it as a courtesy, and Tang Ze had prepared for the worst, that they might only see Shi Lan once.


    But evidently, Shi Lan wasn¡¯t as optimistic as Tang Ze¡ªthe other party clearly didn¡¯t want to waste time meeting her.


    ¡°About today¡¯s opportunity¡­it¡¯s tough to secure, so don¡¯t be hard on yourself. Many top young stars can¡¯t handle it either.¡±


    Shi Lan took the computer from a sleeping Sun Ling¡¯s lap and, staring at Tang Ze¡¯s garish floral shirt, said, ¡°Every time I see you now, I feel like you¡¯re one of those Thai guys who pull over at the roadside. I¡¯m just waiting for you to say ¡®Sawasdee Ka¡¯.¡±


    Seeing that Shi Lan¡¯s mood was unaffected, Tang Ze adjusted his floral shirt, looking a bit sad at her: ¡°Your words are really sharp nowadays.¡±


    Soon, the trio arrived at the Glory Asia Pacific office. They were led by the front desk into the meeting room, but then, they were as if forgotten in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, unattended ever since.


    During that time, not even a receptionist to offer tea or water appeared.


    After sitting quietly for an hour, Tang Ze couldn¡¯t stay put any longer. He got up from his chair and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go ask what¡¯s happening.¡±


    For Shi Lan, this was typical behavior, though she disliked wasting other¡¯s time. However, she couldn¡¯t rule out that other companies preferred this cold treatment as a form of rejection, which was even scarier due to its silent protest.


    Chen Beini¡¯s team was negotiating other resources, using others as a scapegoat to decline, which she wouldn¡¯t have appreciated either.


    A moment later, Tang Ze returned, hand on his hip, and told Shi Lan, ¡°The manager¡¯s secretary told me they have many meetings today and asked us to be patient.¡±


    Shi Lan had anticipated this; she remained composed and continued typing away on her computer.


    Tang Ze glanced at her, suddenly realizing the purpose of her bringing the computer. ¡°So, you guessed it?¡±


    ¡°Today¡¯s theme is humiliation, didn¡¯t you know?¡± Shi Lan looked up at him and said, ¡°For my status, isn¡¯t it quite normal?¡±


    Tang Ze: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°No, I still think you¡¯ve been too harsh. If it were the old An Lan, she would have lost her temper long ago¡­¡±


    Ignoring him, Shi Lan turned to Sun Ling: ¡°Check if there are any good pastries or desserts nearby. We might have to resolve lunch and dinner here.¡±


    After hearing this, Sun Ling glanced at Tang Ze, took out his phone, and obediently began to search for eateries.


    Just as Shi Lan suspected, not only did Glory¡¯s manager not show up, even their secretary refused to meet them.


    They ended up waiting until two in the afternoon.


    Indeed, someone did come, but because a meeting was scheduled in the afternoon, they asked the trio to step out. Now, lacking even a place to enjoy dessert, the three of them sat on stools in the Glory employees¡¯ break room, looking utterly ridiculous.


    ¡°Even if these big shots wanted to reject us, there¡¯s no need to humiliate us like this, right?¡± Tang Ze couldn¡¯t hold back any longer.

 Chapter 69 - Chapter 69: 069 I think you dream faster.

    Chapter 69: 069 I think you dream faster.


    ¡°Sorry for dragging you into this mess,¡± Shi Lan said calmly, her apology was merely lip service, devoid of any real intention.


    At that moment, a WeChat message from Manager Yan came through, ¡°How did it go?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°Getting the cold shoulder here.¡±


    Manager Yan: ¡°Shall I prepare a feast tonight to soothe your anger?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°A beating would cool me off even better.¡±


    After replying to the message, Shi Lan finished typing an eight-page-long email, clicked send, then shut down her computer: ¡°Let¡¯s go. There won¡¯t be any outcome even if we wait until tomorrow.¡±


    Tang Ze was so angry his face turned red: ¡°Just you wait.¡±


    Miss Shi Lan had always had top-notch mental composure, as if she came by today only to use Glory¡¯s office to mooch some internet, and she left with just as much nonchalance.


    Of course, Glory¡¯s employees knew there was someone waiting in the reception room, but they had been instructed to ignore her. An audition? Who gave her the audacity?


    And just like that, the news that An Lan had waited six hours for an audition at Glory without even meeting the person in charge spread like wildfire in the entertainment industry.


    It was all too common for small-time artists to be suppressed like this.


    Everyone in the circle laughed at Shi Lan for overestimating herself.


    The news quickly reached the ears of Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini.


    Although Chen Beini had long anticipated this outcome, hearing about Shi Lan¡¯s humiliation firsthand still made her snicker in hiding: ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s important to know your place.¡±


    Gu Chengyu, listening to Chen Beini¡¯s mockery, didn¡¯t feel any pleasure, only finding her face more and more repulsive.


    ¡°Chengyu, your birthday is coming up soon, and this will be the first one I celebrate with you. I want to make it special,¡± she said.


    Gu Chengyu subtly pushed away Chen Beini¡¯s arm and refused: ¡°No need. Let¡¯s keep a low profile on set.¡±


    Chen Beini looked into Gu Chengyu¡¯s eyes, feeling that something had changed about him, and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve started to pity An Lan now? You do remember how badly she screwed you over, right? If it weren¡¯t for me exposing your chat logs, everyone would have thought you were two-timing, you know?¡±


    ¡°But you almost had her die in the emergency room,¡± Gu Chengyu countered.


    Chen Beini stared at Gu Chengyu in disbelief, then suddenly let out a cold laugh: ¡°So, now you want to get justice for her?¡±


    Without a word, Gu Chengyu, still in costume, went off on his own.


    ¡°Crazy!¡±


    ¡­


    After a day full of hassle with Shi Lan, Tang Ze returned to the drama crew¡¯s hotel at five in the afternoon. He had thought about taking Shi Lan to the beach to unwind, but seeing her indifferent, he decided to just drop her off at her room: ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need me to give you a pep talk?¡±


    Shi Lan put her computer down and slumped into the sofa: ¡°You should save your pep talks for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been humiliated like this.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Shi Lan retorted.


    ¡°You have to become famous, you must,¡± Tang Ze pointed at Shi Lan, ¡°I will fight for resources for you back at the company. Before you know it, not just Glory, but even top stars will be begging to work with us.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d better hurry up with your dreaming,¡± Shi Lan shot him down without mercy, ¡°Now go away, I have scenes to shoot tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of that scum Gu Chengyu that you got delayed; do you remember how popular you were with the public back then? Without all that mess, you¡¯d be more famous than Chen Beini by now.¡±


    Hearing this, Shi Lan lifted her head and glared at Tang Ze.


    Getting the hint, Tang Ze quickly raised his hands in surrender: ¡°My bad, I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    Then, Shi Lan threw her phone to Sun Ling: ¡°Don¡¯t sleep tonight, keep an eye on the phone at all times, and don¡¯t miss any calls.¡±


    Although Sun Ling didn¡¯t understand why, she still agreed. After everything that happened today, she felt downcast and turned to ask Shi Lan: ¡°An Lan, aren¡¯t you really angry?¡±


    Angry? When the female mogul was starting her own company and was betrayed, nearly ending up in jail, she remained as unshaken as Mount Tai, let alone this.


    The scheming Miss Shi Lan thought to herself that it wasn¡¯t time for a counterattack yet, only fools judge by appearances.

 Chapter 70 - Chapter 70: 070 You will make it one day.

    Chapter 70: 070 You will make it one day.


    Sun Ling waited all night for a phone call, turned Shi Lan¡¯s ringtone up to the loudest, and stayed in Shi Lan¡¯s room without going anywhere, spending the whole night with her.


    She didn¡¯t know what Shi Lan was doing, only that all night long, Shi Lan had been researching and typing on her computer.


    Next door, Yan Shixiu, noticing the light in Shi Lan¡¯s room was still on, sent her a WeChat message in the wee hours, ¡°?¡±


    Since the phone was in Sun Ling¡¯s hands, Shi Lan told her to reply with a message, ¡°Busy, go to sleep by yourself.¡±


    Immersed in her computer, Shi Lan didn¡¯t realize the ambiguity in her words, Sun Ling hesitated for a moment but replied as instructed.


    Yan Shixiu saw the message telling him to sleep by himself, smiled helplessly, and thought to himself, it¡¯s still the same Shi Lan from his past life, uninterrupted when busy, not even the emperor could disturb her.


    He already knew about the cold reception Shi Lan had received at Glory during the day, and although he felt sorry for her, Shi Lan¡¯s silence usually meant she was still on the hunt.


    So, Director Yan didn¡¯t sleep either, continuing to watch different versions of ¡°King Lear¡± because he wanted to know which version Shi Lan had performed in.


    ¡­


    At dawn, when the first ray of light entered the room, Shi Lan, who was slumped over her desk, woke up. There had been no movement from Sun Ling¡¯s phone, so she tidied up a bit, ready for today¡¯s filming.


    At 8:30 a.m., after getting her makeup done, Shi Lan arrived on set. At that time, Director Tang was adjusting the camera¡¯s position and said to her meaningfully, ¡°Everyone knows about your visit to Glory yesterday, don¡¯t be discouraged, you¡¯ll have your day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Director Tang, but does the whole crew know about this?¡±


    Caught off guard by the question, Director Tang thought to himself that Chen Beini had already made it widely known. Outwardly apologizing to Shi Lan and introducing her to such an opportunity, but in fact, she was just humiliating her in a roundabout way. Everyone could see through Chen Beini¡¯s intentions; the crew was momentarily unsure who was actually the green tea bitch.


    Seeing that Director Tang was at a loss for words, Shi Lan understood and said, ¡°I am all right.¡±


    At that moment, Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini entered the set together.


    Upon seeing Shi Lan, Chen Beini¡¯s first words were an apology, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, An Lan, if I had known Glory was so outrageous, I would¡¯ve found you a different one.¡±


    ¡°Chen Beini, just shut up,¡± Gu Chengyu said, pulling her away at that moment.


    ¡°What did I do? I just feel sorry for An Lan. How could Glory be so outrageous to make someone wait for nothing for six hours? Even if An Lan¡¯s not that high up the celebrity ladder yet, that¡¯s no reason to bully her, is there?¡±


    Gu Chengyu was about to speak up for Shi Lan again when Sun Ling run over with a phone, saying to Shi Lan, ¡°An Lan, Glory¡¯s head office is calling, they¡¯re inviting you over.¡±


    Shi Lan calmly glanced at Chen Beini, then took the phone from Sun Ling¡¯s hand and started speaking in fluent, pure English.


    Chen Beini¡¯s face instantly soured. How could this be possible?


    The nearby crew members, upon hearing Shi Lan speaking such perfect English, were instantly shocked, as hardcore skills always manage to win over onlookers¡¯ favor and admiration. Even Gu Chengyu was surprised, as he had no idea that An Lan¡¯s English was so excellent.


    While Shi Lan was on the phone, Sun Ling took the chance to observe everyone¡¯s expressions, feeling a secret thrill.


    A moment later, Shi Lan hung up and returned to them, handing the phone back to Sun Ling, ¡°Set an alarm for 11:30.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Sun Ling responded with exuberance.


    ¡°Was that from Glory that contacted you?¡± Chen Beini asked with dissatisfaction.

 Chapter 71 - Chapter 71: 071 You dont actually have to do this

    Chapter 71: 071 You don¡¯t actually have to do this


    ¡°No,¡± Shi Lan shook her head.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Chen Beini was relieved.


    ¡°It¡¯s M&G.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it¡­¡± Chen Beini deliberately embarrassed Shi Lan.


    At this moment, Shi Lan just smiled discreetly and then said, ¡°Glory is a second-tier sports brand under M&G. As a former ambassador for Glory, you don¡¯t know this?¡±


    Chen Beini: ¡°¡­¡±


    So what? Chen Beini didn¡¯t understand what Shi Lan was bragging about. Even if M&G had called her, so what? What was she pretending for? Did she really think someone of her calibre could land an endorsement?


    Moreover, if Glory didn¡¯t even give Shi Lan a chance to meet, how could the parent company M&G possibly call Shi Lan?


    At that moment, Chen Beini only felt that Shi Lan trying to salvage her dignity looked really pitiful.


    Shi Lan knew what Chen Beini was thinking, didn¡¯t explain herself, and had a very indifferent expression as she quickly shifted her gaze to the script.


    The call from M&G was from the head of Glory headquarters, Kasafei, who invited Shi Lan for a video chat at six in the morning Italian time, which was exactly noon in China. That¡¯s why Shi Lan had asked Sun Ling to set an alarm.


    Gu Chengyu also found it hard to believe that Shi Lan could be in touch with such high-level individuals and thought she was lying. He asked worriedly, ¡°An Lan, you really don¡¯t need to do this.¡±


    Shi Lan couldn¡¯t be bothered to answer and directly asked Director Tang, ¡°Director Tang, can we start now? I need to take a very important call at twelve.¡±


    ¡°Sure, the morning scenes are indoors. We¡¯ll rearrange things to let you get ready earlier,¡± Director Tang considerately said.


    Chen Beini and Gu Chengyu had no idea what Shi Lan was up to because she kept her composure very well. After finishing the four morning scenes, Shi Lan hurriedly left with Sun Ling.


    Only then did Chen Beini wrap her arms around herself, laughing, ¡°I¡¯ve realized that someone who has ¡®died¡¯ once really has a strong inner core. No matter how much the crew looks down on her, no matter the ridicule from outside, An Lan acts as if she heard nothing. That¡¯s a skill too, so I guess now I understand that having thick skin is also a way of surviving.¡±


    Gu Chengyu didn¡¯t like Chen Beini joking about this at all and left with a dark expression after hearing it.


    ¡­


    Back at the hotel, Shi Lan quickly changed her clothes and applied a minimalist, Western-style makeup.


    Glory connected on time, and Shi Lan successfully saw Kasafei on screen.


    ¡°Oh, let me have a good look at this Chinese girl who made a stir at the M&G Group, and see what she really looks like.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Kasafei, I hope my email will be able to help you successfully enter the Asian market. I also hope M&G will value the Asia-Pacific market because it is the future of the entire world.¡± At this point, Shi Lan switched to Italian.


    Upon hearing her fluent Italian, the old man with a white beard did a comical expression, ¡°I saw your email at three o¡¯clock last night, and everyone at M&G is excited because you have shown us the real Asian market. I am delighted to meet such a beautiful girl like you. You are truly a gem. However, I want to know, were you really turned away by the head of Glory Asia Pacific¡¯s subsidiary yesterday?¡±


    ¡°I think it wasn¡¯t their fault. They thought I was just a minor actress,¡± Shi Lan replied.


    ¡°No, no, no! I will make them pay for their arrogance. Moreover, I, on behalf of Glory, extend a sincere invitation to Miss An. With your help, we will adjust our brand policy for the Asia Pacific region as soon as possible. By then, I hope you can become the spokesperson for our entire Glory line.¡±

 Chapter 72 - Chapter 72: 072 Glory is coming to apologize?

    Chapter 72: 072 Glory is coming to apologize?


    Throughout the entire one and a half hours of the video, Sun Ling stayed on the sofa one meter away from Shi Lan, completely stunned and speechless with astonishment, not because she understood what was being said, but because Shi Lan¡¯s switching of languages at any given time made her question her life.


    As a student who graduated from a prominent university, Sun Ling thought her English was good enough to pass Level 6, so she could understand the parts in English. However, she had no clue what the other language was; it was just too advanced for her.


    Of course, if she knew what Shi Lan and the other party were discussing, she might have been so thrilled she¡¯d drop dead on the spot.


    Miss Shi and the other party talked about finance, policies, corporate culture, and future trends. No matter the topic, it was all beyond her imagination.


    When Shi Lan finished talking with the other party and closed the computer, Sun Ling was completely dazed.


    ¡°What are you daydreaming about? Where¡¯s lunch?¡± Shi Lan waved her hand at Sun Ling.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll get it right away¡­ I was just listening to your conversation,¡± Sun Ling explained awkwardly.


    ¡°Understood any of it?¡±


    Sun Ling shook her head, ¡°So, what were you both discussing?¡±


    Shi Lan, not sure about the situation herself, teased Sun Ling on purpose, ¡°We discussed why you are so lazy.¡±


    It took a moment for Sun Ling to react, but when she did, her face turned white with fear. Even though she hadn¡¯t been a part of An Lan¡¯s past, she knew An Lan¡¯s background to some extent. An Lan had been a sycophant, obsessively supportive of her younger brother, hadn¡¯t even finished college, and even her acting skills were half-baked. How could she suddenly have such explosive acting ability and speak several languages?


    So, on her way to the hotel to get food, Sun Ling sent Tang Ze a text message, asking, ¡°Brother Tang, what do you think about An Lan speaking two languages?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d think you¡¯ve gone crazy,¡± Tang Ze replied without hesitation, ¡°An Lan hasn¡¯t even passed English Level 4, being fluent in two dialects would be more like it.¡±


    Seeing this reply, Sun Ling¡¯s hands started shaking, ¡°Tang¡­ Brother Tang, I really think I¡¯m seeing a ghost.¡±


    Midday, and you¡¯re not letting people nap, what¡¯s gotten into you? The real issue is, by humoring you, I¡¯d be the one seeing ghosts.¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°¡­¡±


    Tang Ze was incredulous, while Sun Ling moped all the way, muttering the core socialist values. When she finally mustered the courage to return to the room, she saw Shi Lan nibbling on biscuits, babbling incoherently, ¡°Just eating biscuits by yourself, hehe¡­¡±


    Shi Lan looked up, glanced at Sun Ling, and replied, ¡°I¡¯m afraid eating them as half a person here might scare you to death.¡±


    Then Sun Ling¡¯s face turned even paler with fright.


    Seeing that she had genuinely scared her, Shi Lan walked over, took the tray, and said, ¡°What¡¯s with all the crazy thoughts in your head? I learned those languages on my own because I was always around Gu Chengyu and my dummy brother, so I never had the chance to take exams.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Sun Ling sighed with relief, nearly losing her soul from fright.


    Miss Shi gave Sun Ling a perfunctory response for now and sat down to eat peacefully. At that moment, Yan Shixiu sent a text: ¡°Free? Take a call.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°You call.¡±


    The next second, Yan Shixiu¡¯s call came through, ¡°Glory¡¯s side contacted Huahai, they want to visit the film set this afternoon. Since the Glory Asia Pacific head is involved, they thought it best to apologize to you in person. Any issues with that?¡±


    Shi Lan hit the speakerphone button and continued eating while responding, ¡°Let them come.¡±


    This inquiry from Yan Shixiu was purely superfluous¡ªwho would refuse such a face-saving opportunity? Miss Shi wouldn¡¯t be an exception.


    Director Yan: ¡°Alright, and what fruit would you like this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Kiwifruit, the sweetest kind.¡±


    Then, they ended the call.


    Sun Ling continued to be in a state of bewilderment.


    What? Glory is coming to apologize?


    How did An Lan manage that? And Director Yan isn¡¯t even surprised!


    And, why do these two still have this not-so-close yet ambiguous relationship!?

 Chapter 73 - Chapter 73: 073 Hiding ones ability is also a technical skill

    Chapter 73: 073 Hiding one¡¯s ability is also a technical skill


    Shi Lan focused on her meal, having already prepared what to say to Yan Shixiu about Glory¡¯s sudden change in attitude. Besides, she had made a pact with Kasafei to keep her letter writing a secret; she would simply claim to the public that she fit the image of a Glory spokesperson.


    This sounded completely far-fetched, but really, could it be more bizarre than being reborn?


    She had thought Yan Shixiu would question her, but the jerk seemed to not care at all. After all, she wasn¡¯t an artist under Huahai, so there was no need to clarify everything. Glory¡¯s contact with Huahai was purely because Huahai was the production company behind ¡°Smoke Beauty.¡±


    Even so, Miss Shi found the whole ordeal exhausting.


    It turns out that hiding one¡¯s capabilities is a skill in itself.


    ¡­


    The schedule for the afternoon shoot was tight, leaving Shi Lan and the two lead actors with very little rest.


    After getting her makeup done, Shi Lan waited on set in the sweltering heat, prompting Sun Ling to turn on a small fan for her.


    Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini were elsewhere touching up their makeup, idly chatting with their assistants when not busy. Most of the conversation hinted slyly at the fact that Glory had contacted Shi Lan. In Chen Beini¡¯s opinion, Shi Lan was vain; if she couldn¡¯t handle the resources, she just couldn¡¯t. Why bother putting on airs here, as if people on set weren¡¯t aware of her lower status?


    The weather was hot, and the work for the crew was dull, but with Chen Beini, the drama queen, providing fresh gossip every day, they were never bored.


    Shi Lan remained detached because she considered Chen Beini to be nothing more than a loudmouth.


    Shi Lan disdained verbal confrontations; she preferred to let her acting speak for itself, making Chen Beini look foolish in every scene.


    By 4:30 in the afternoon, just as two indoor scenes wrapped up and the crew was about to change locations, Yan Shixiu¡¯s fruit delivery arrived for the directors and Shi Lan, prepared just for them¡ªeveryone else got nothing. The three were in the middle of a scene when Sun Ling came over with a plate of fruit and started feeding Shi Lan, ¡°Fresh kiwifruit from Yan, chilled!¡±


    Upon hearing this, Chen Beini turned away in disdain, thinking to herself that An Lan was just lucky, having been ¡°bumped into¡± by Yan Shixiu.


    ¡°An Lan, don¡¯t get too busy eating. Come take a look at this scene,¡± called Director Tang from nearby.


    Shi Lan put away her script, preparing to walk over to Director Tang, when four men in suits, carrying small gifts and briefcases, entered everyone¡¯s view.


    Upon recognizing the man leading them, Chen Beini immediately became excited and approached with her assistant, asking, ¡°President Lei? What brings you here?¡±


    The man at the forefront, under 40, with a slicked-back hairstyle and a sturdy physique, was none other than Lei Yanghong, the Glory Asia Pacific head.


    Seeing Chen Beini, he stopped, took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then said, ¡°Ms. Chen, hello.¡±


    ¡°Why did you come to the set to find me? If you wanted to see me, you could¡¯ve just set up an appointment with my broker. There was no need to come all this way.¡± Although Chen Beini¡¯s team was already in talks for better opportunities, she was moved by the sincerity of the visit, especially since someone else had received a call from Glory earlier that day.


    Chen Beini wanted Shi Lan to see firsthand how some lies were soon exposed. To show off in front of Shi Lan, Beini deliberately raised her voice, drawing the attention of most of the crew to herself and the men.


    However, at that moment¡­ the Glory representative turned to her with an apologetic smile and asked, ¡°Sorry, Ms. Chen, our purpose for coming here today is to see Ms. An Lan.¡±

 Chapter 74 - Chapter 74: How is this possible?

    Chapter 74: How is this possible?


    Chen Beini instantly petrified, as everyone saw her unrequited affection.


    ¡°Miss Chen, could you please show me the way?¡±


    Seeing Chen Beini¡¯s blushing face, unable to step down from her embarrassment, the assistant hurried over to help, pointing to Shi Lan in front of the camera setup, ¡°Mr. Lei, An Lan is right over there.¡±


    Upon hearing this, the man thanked him and walked toward Shi Lan with his subordinates.


    Shi Lan and Director Tang were discussing whether to reshoot the previous scene. At that moment, the head of Glory had walked up behind Shi Lan and said politely and courteously, ¡°Miss An, I am Lei Yanghong. I am very sorry for what happened yesterday at Glory¡ªso I came especially to apologize to you. I hope you can forgive my arrogance and rudeness.¡±


    The people present were stunned.


    They hadn¡¯t heard, right? Someone from Glory had actually come in person to apologize to Shi Lan?


    Thinking of how just moments ago Chen Beini mocked Shi Lan for overestimating herself, by fabricating the lie that Glory had called her, and now they had actually come knocking and were even apologizing with humility? This was a real slap in the face, a searing hit!


    However, at that moment, Shi Lan was completely ignoring the other party, continuing her discussion with Director Tang about the plot.


    The people from Glory must have understood Shi Lan¡¯s intention and stood obediently by her side as if being punished.


    Indeed, it was a punishment!


    Just now, Chen Beini had warmly approached a cold shoulder, and now the other party was being cold-shouldered by Shi Lan. Rounded off, it was as if Chen Beini was slapped by Shi Lan¡ªand it was thunderously loud.


    Chen Beini¡¯s face had swelled red to her neck, humiliated to the extent of having no place to hide.


    It was Director Tang who showed measure, pausing his discussion with Shi Lan: ¡°We can¡¯t make our distinguished guest wait too long.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday I also waited for six hours,¡± Shi Lan replied.


    ¡°I am sorry, truly sorry, Miss An. It was our negligence. Please do not take it to heart,¡± Lei Yanghong added. He had seen the technical email and could hardly believe it was from a minor celebrity. It encompassed too many fields, more than even a high-level executive like himself might understand or strategize.


    To know, Miss Shi¡¯s talents surpassed even her grandfather¡¯s in making money. An Asian-level female tycoon was not renowned without reason.


    Thus, Lei Yanghong¡¯s apology was sincere. However, he needed to confirm whether someone had been assisting Shi Lan behind the scenes. If he verified that Shi Lan indeed possessed such treasures of mind, he would be happy to accept the criticisms in the email and would reconsider Glory¡¯s position.


    ¡°I wonder, Miss An, could you honor me with your presence for a simple dinner tonight?¡±


    Shi Lan did not engage with his request, but took the phone from Sun Ling, checked the time, and then said, ¡°I still have two scenes left.¡±


    ¡°No problem, you are busy. We will wait,¡± they said, withdrawing to the side.


    As Chen Beini witnessed all this, she felt extremely uneasy, because she had never expected Shi Lan to secure such a resource. Not only had she secured it, but the head of the company had personally come to apologize and was setting up a dinner?


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Chen Beini was hugely impacted and finally realized what she had been saying earlier in front of the crew members.


    Her humiliation of Shi Lan, her undervaluation of her, now Miss Shi returned it all with the loudest slap¡ªno¡­ this wasn¡¯t enough because she had been merely a figurehead before, but Shi Lan was the full spokesperson. If this news got out, who knows if she would go insane.

 Chapter 75 - Chapter 75: 075 Annoy your uncle!!

    Chapter 75: 075 Annoy your uncle!!


    The afternoon¡¯s remaining two scenes saw Chen Beini even more distracted, constantly causing NGs.


    Gu Chengyu really had no way to deal with her, and finally spoke softly to persuade her for a while, after all, ¡°Smoke¡± had been encountering problems since filming started, and if they continued to have internal conflicts, it would affect the production schedule.


    And the person in charge at Glory really did wait, as if compensating for yesterday¡¯s humiliation of Shi Lan, until Yan Shixiu appeared on set.


    Yan Shixiu took people to the hotel, ostensibly to arrange the evening¡¯s dinner party, but in reality, he was probing the people from Glory, trying to figure out exactly what method Miss Shi had used to change their views of her.


    As dusk fell, Shi Lan finally wrapped up her filming for the day.


    Sun Ling, holding a towel, came up to meet her and said, ¡°President Yan has arranged for several guests in the hotel¡¯s banqueting hall, and they¡¯re currently waiting for you and Director Tang to go over.¡±


    Miss Shi felt annoyed; she had seen that scoundrel leading the group away earlier. She had waited for six hours yesterday, and these people were far from repaying that yet!


    ¡°He¡¯s everywhere.¡±


    ¡°President Yan is also trying to solve problems for you,¡± couldn¡¯t help but defend Yan Shixiu.


    ¡°Go invite Director Tang, I¡¯m going to remove my makeup and change clothes,¡± Shi Lan instructed Sun Ling.


    Upon receiving the order, Sun Ling quickly ran towards Director Tang. At that moment, the look Chen Beini cast at Sun Ling was filled with jealousy. To her great surprise, Yan Shixiu had arranged support meals for all the staff on set after wrapping up that afternoon, and it was all under Shi Lan¡¯s name.


    When it comes to slapping faces, watch Miss Shi.


    When it comes to winning people¡¯s hearts, watch Yan Shixiu.


    All these things he did for Shi Lan might seem trivial, just sending some fruit and coffee every day, but the staff would remember all these favors as meriting Shi Lan, even though they would daily make fun of Yan Shixiu for ¡°bumping into¡± Shi Lan.


    Chen Beini couldn¡¯t find her footing in the crew, and at that moment, said sarcastically to Gu Chengyu, ¡°Now that she¡¯s cozied up to a big sponsor, she doesn¡¯t deign to care about you.¡±


    ¡°Chen Beini, you¡¯re so bitter.¡± Although Gu Chengyu wasn¡¯t feeling great himself, he still firmly believed in An Lan¡¯s love for him. A relationship pursued for so many years wouldn¡¯t just vanish into thin air. In fact, he was actually pleased that Shi Lan had secured Glory¡¯s resources because he suddenly felt that if Shi Lan became famous, their status would be well-matched, and when they would get together it would be perfect.


    ¡°Bitter? Gu Chengyu, Glory is a resource I look down upon. Besides, my fans have always known it was my resource. Suddenly being cut off by An Lan, do you think my fans won¡¯t tear An Lan apart?¡±


    This time, Gu Chengyu wasn¡¯t riled up by Chen Beini but replied instead, ¡°I see An Lan isn¡¯t afraid of you.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t you forget, you and I are the National Couple, the industry¡¯s acknowledged lovers!¡± After saying this, Chen Beini gave Gu Chengyu a disdainful glance, then stormed back to the hotel.


    ¡­


    As it was a formal dinner party, Shi Lan did light makeup after washing up.


    At that moment, she wore a white T-shirt and a pink lace skirt, radiating youthful vitality and looking stunning.


    In the banquet hall, Yan Shixiu and the person in charge from Glory were deep in conversation.


    From behind the glass, Miss Shi caught a glimpse and wished she could pounce right up and bite the man. Why did he always have to meddle in her affairs?


    Perhaps sensing a familiar gaze, Yan Shixiu had his assistant open up the seat next to him.


    After Shi Lan entered the room, she intended to sit elsewhere, not wanting to indulge President Yan¡¯s habits, but Yan Shixiu called out to her, ¡°Sit next to me. Otherwise, where will I put the dishes I don¡¯t like to eat?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Damn you!


    The others looked at the two with somewhat ambiguous gazes, and at that moment, Yan Shixiu explained unhurriedly, ¡°I just had a car accident with her not long ago, now I¡¯m making amends, just like all of you!¡±


    Miss Shi never expected there¡¯d come a day when she would be buried by a hole she dug herself¡­

 Chapter 76 - Chapter 76: 076 She just cant be An Lan!

    Chapter 76: 076 She just can¡¯t be An Lan!


    Shi Lan very reluctantly sat beside Yan Shixiu, thinking that the car accident clich¨¦ was probably unavoidable now.


    Mr. Yan probably sensed that Miss Shi was being temperamental and thus created some distance between them, playing the strategy of advancing when the enemy retreats and attacking when the enemy advances to perfection.


    Because Mr. Yan remembered the lessons from his past life and did not want to push Shi Lan too hard, even if he teased, it was always just enough and no more.


    ¡°Miss An, I really want to know, did you personally write that letter? Sorry, I don¡¯t mean anything else; I just find it too shocking.¡± The head of Glory spoke to Shi Lan before the banquet started.


    Shi Lan turned her head to glance at Yan Shixiu and noticed that his expression was very calm, as if he had no intention of joining the discussion. Consequently, she brought out her prepared response: ¡°I¡¯ve always paid close attention to both domestic and international fashion brands and frequently visit some financial forums, so I wrote that letter on a whim out of love for the field. I didn¡¯t expect it to draw such attention. If Mr. Lei would like more details, we can talk another day; this might not be the right occasion for business talk today.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s agree on that,¡± the head of Glory said.


    After they made this arrangement, the atmosphere at the banquet suddenly grew cold.


    At this moment, Yan Shixiu naturally took on the role of a peacemaker, starting conversations with the people from Glory and defusing the awkwardness.


    At this moment, Shi Lan felt somewhat moved. She wasn¡¯t incapable of handling such situations, but she had never been able to easily delegate the parts she despised to someone else like this. This tacit understanding in business made her feel exceptionally comfortable.


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, Sun Ling had not gone to the dinner as he was supposed to meet Tang Ze. He was shocked to hear that Glory had come to apologize and wanted to know what had happened.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why has Glory suddenly changed their attitude? And the manager came personally to apologize?¡± After they entered Shi Lan¡¯s room, Tang Ze asked Sun Ling.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I just know that An Lan sent an email to the head office of Glory and then video-called the manager of Glory¡¯s European headquarters. They spoke in Italian, and today, the manager from Glory¡¯s Asia Pacific region came to apologize,¡± Sun Ling responded, scratching his head.


    At that time, Shi Lan was still at the dinner.


    Tang Ze sat down on the sofa and burst into laughter after hearing Sun Ling¡¯s explanation: ¡°Do you even realize what you¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°I know you won¡¯t believe it, but when I saw her typing the email in English and speaking Italian with the foreigners, I couldn¡¯t believe it either, but it¡¯s the truth,¡± Sun Ling shrugged. ¡°Tang, do you think¡­ maybe An Lan had some skills she hid from you before?¡±


    ¡°Hid my ass! A person who can even mispronounce ¡®Hello Kitty,¡¯ and you tell me she speaks fluent English? Before she gets back, quickly tell me all the strange things about her lately,¡± Tang Ze said urgently.


    ¡°She¡¯s very picky with food¡­¡±


    ¡°Has severe sleep disorders¡­¡±


    ¡°Excellent in horseback riding¡­¡±


    ¡°Acting skills are incredible¡­¡±


    ¡°Mysterious and inscrutable¡­¡±


    ¡°Dislikes Gu Chengyu¡­¡±


    ¡°And now her English and Italian are exceptional.¡±


    After listening, Tang Ze¡¯s legs slightly went weak, and it took him a while before he asked Sun Ling, ¡°Does she drink blood? If she isn¡¯t afraid of light, could she be some kind of foreign demon?¡±


    Sun Ling: ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Tang, don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    ¡°Why would I scare you? Based on what you¡¯ve described, she can¡¯t possibly be An Lan!¡± Tang Ze said decisively.

 Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: 077 Why dont you just take a megaphone and shout it out?

    Chapter 77: 077 Why don¡¯t you just take a megaphone and shout it out?


    ¡°Could it be that after she attempted suicide, she had a major epiphany?¡±


    ¡°A temperament might drastically change, but her abilities couldn¡¯t possibly double, could they?¡± Tang Ze rejected Sun Ling¡¯s suggestion. ¡°No, I¡¯m feeling really uneasy right now, wait for me to calm down.¡±


    Just as the two were at a loss, Shi Lan and Yan Shixiu¡¯s voices came from outside the door, scaring Tang Ze and Sun Ling into huddling together.


    In the corridor, President Yan gazed at Shi Lan for a moment, and then said, ¡°Rest early.¡±


    Shi Lan nodded, ¡°Goodnight, my friend.¡±


    The next second, Shi Lan used a card to open the door, but upon entering, she was bound tightly with the sash of a bathrobe by Tang Ze: ¡°Sun Ling, come and help!¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°¡­¡±


    The two of them tied up Shi Lan and then threw her onto the sofa, and afterwards, they took a frying pan and a soup ladle from the suite¡¯s kitchen, making a cross shape with them. From two meters away, they asked Shi Lan, ¡°You¡¯re definitely not An Lan, so who exactly are you?¡±


    Shi Lan looked at the belt wound around her body, feeling a headache coming on: ¡°First, let me go. If there¡¯s a mark left, Tang will think tomorrow that I was playing bondage play in my room!¡±


    ¡°No way, you need to make things clear first, or we don¡¯t dare to let you go. An Lan has been under my command for years; I know everything about her. An Lan is very weak, always bullied and oppressed, nowhere near the person I see before me. So, what¡¯s really going on?¡±


    Miss Shi understood that she couldn¡¯t keep it hidden from those close to her, but she hadn¡¯t expected to be exposed so quickly.


    So, she sighed and said earnestly, ¡°You need to untie me before I can talk properly.¡±


    ¡°No way, you first.¡±


    Having no other choice with the two simpletons, Shi Lan said, ¡°On the day An Lan tried to kill herself, she didn¡¯t survive the rescue attempts. That same day, I was in Thailand, and I happened to get into a car accident. When I woke up, I had become her.¡±


    Upon hearing Shi Lan¡¯s words, Tang Ze and his companion were stunned for a moment, not knowing how to take it in.


    ¡°Even if you¡¯re going to make up a story, at least make it believable,¡± Tang Ze didn¡¯t believe a word.


    ¡°I, too, really wish this were some tall tale I¡¯m spinning,¡± Shi Lan glared at them.


    Unexpectedly, at this moment Sun Ling suddenly took a stand: ¡°I believe her.¡±


    ¡°You believe anything she says? When do things like this happen in the world?¡± Tang Ze yanked at Sun Ling.


    ¡°Then how do you explain her abilities doubling?¡± Sun Ling pushed back defiantly.


    ¡°Then she might have had plastic surgery¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you have plastic surgery to look exactly the same? And who would get surgery to look like An Lan just for fun?¡±


    Tired of listening, Shi Lan, bound on the sofa, interrupted the two: ¡°Can you untie me first?¡±


    Tang Ze looked at Shi Lan, still unable to accept it: ¡°I just don¡¯t believe it, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I wanted to become your An Lan? Even if I were a beggar, turning my life around wouldn¡¯t be as hard as hers,¡± Shi Lan disdainfully retorted. ¡°Whether you believe it or not, An Lan is no more. She eternally froze herself at twenty-one years old just for a jerk and his floozy.¡±


    ¡°Fine then, if you say you¡¯re not An Lan, who are you?¡± Tang Ze calmed down a bit and asked again.


    ¡°I can answer that. During the time An Lan committed suicide, there was another news story that hung on the front pages for several days ¨C the female heiress Shi Lan¡­¡± Sun Ling answered excitedly. But then as he got to the latter half, he turned to look at Miss Shi in shock, ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°Not bad, some insight at last.¡±


    ¡°Damned unreal!¡± Tang Ze cried out excitedly.


    Remembering Yan Shixiu in the next room, Shi Lan glared at him, ¡°Would you prefer to take a megaphone and announce it outside?¡±


    ¡°My God, no, I need to think this through¡­¡± Tang Ze found the revelation too overwhelming, pacing back and forth in the room.


    ¡°Or else why do you think I could speak several foreign languages? Why do I know how to ride horses? Why could I write a technical email that shook the Glory headquarters just like that, could your An Lan do that?¡±

 Chapter 78 - Chapter 78: 078 I want to get An Lan on her feet!

    Chapter 78: 078 I want to get An Lan on her feet!


    Tang Ze and Sun Ling spent most of the night digesting and accepting the situation. Finally, after seeing the email Shi Lan had sent, they had no choice but to accept this absurd truth, and Miss Shi finally got her restraints removed.


    At this moment, the three of them were sitting on the sofa ¡°negotiating¡±, because after knowing such a bizarre thing, Tang Ze and Sun Ling felt that everyone might need to get reacquainted.


    ¡°So¡­ what are your plans for the future?¡± Tang Ze still hadn¡¯t settled down from his chaotic thoughts.


    ¡°I am An Lan, and I can only be An Lan. An Lan¡¯s life, I will continue on, and I will take up everything about An Lan without hesitation, but I won¡¯t follow the same path as An Lan. I love acting, so I will do everything I can to reach the peak of an actor. I will clear An Lan¡¯s public image, settle An Lan¡¯s debts, I will realize the value of An Lan¡¯s life, but my ultimate goal in life is to be free. Now, it¡¯s your turn to state your positions¡­¡± Shi Lan relaxed her posture, no different from usual.


    Because Sun Ling was used to this demeanor of Shi Lan, he also relaxed, saying, ¡°I want to continue following you, I¡¯m used to your demanding nature.¡±


    After thinking for a while, Tang Ze also felt that keeping things as they were was the best course of action because the truth was just too absurd, and no one would believe it if they talked about it.


    However, the thought that the artist he had cared for for years was truly gone made him cover his face, and he could not help feeling a surge of sorrow. In the end, he even cursed, ¡°Damn it, just like that, An Lan disappeared without a trace. But that couple, they haven¡¯t received any punishment or lesson, I just can¡¯t accept it.¡±


    ¡°You think I would let them be happy for long? Those two are the best tools for whitewashing An Lan¡¯s image. You think I¡¯d let them off easily? But, no hurry, every step that An Lan takes to become stronger will be stepping on these two people.¡±


    After hearing Shi Lan¡¯s words, Tang Ze was immediately fired up with fighting spirit, saying to Shi Lan, ¡°Just say what help you need.¡±


    ¡°With my current status, you can¡¯t help much, it¡¯s just that from time to time you could pad my skills so the outside world thinks I¡¯m diligent and eager to learn, otherwise, when it¡¯s time to show off my skills, it might arouse a lot of speculation.¡± Shi Lan leaned on the sofa and said, ¡°As for what I can do, you can search Baidu for information, there¡¯s just too much, I¡¯m afraid I might not even remember it all myself.¡±


    What¡¯s called awesome?


    This is it!


    ¡°Alright.¡± Tang Ze agreed, ¡°But, are you really not a second personality split from An Lan? Somehow, that would be easier for me to accept.¡±


    ¡°You can deceive yourself that way if you like.¡± Miss Shi wasn¡¯t troubled by such matters; she indeed needed trusted people to cover for her.


    At this point, Sun Ling suddenly thought of something, ¡°If you are Shi Lan, doesn¡¯t that mean Yan Shixiu¡­ If he is being so nice to you now, has he also learned the truth about your identity?¡±


    After pondering for a moment, Shi Lan said, ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    After all, such things are too unbelievable, and besides, Yan Shixiu personally buried his wife¡¯s ashes, and he never had contact with An Lan, so it¡¯s hardly possible that he would guess such a thing.


    ¡°That¡¯s true. You look nothing like her, even if Yan Shixiu is extremely capable, he wouldn¡¯t think of that.¡±


    ¡°Alright, since we¡¯ve cleared this up, let¡¯s bury it in this room and never bring it up outside, especially you, Sun Ling. Once we leave this room, let¡¯s forget everything.¡± Tang Ze warned Sun Ling very sternly.


    ¡°I swear, I can sign a non-disclosure agreement.¡± Sun Ling raised his hand to assure, ¡°Besides, who would believe this kind of thing if I told them?¡±


    ¡°With that settled, is it okay for people to go to sleep now?¡± Shi Lan asked, yawning, ¡°Glory on the other side is already sorting out the contract, if all goes well, it will be for the entire Asia-Pacific region¡¯s spokesman. And when that happens, Chen Beini¡¯s fans are definitely going to create a storm. It wouldn¡¯t benefit me to move against her now, but I can use her to brush a wave of a revenge persona. After all, netizens don¡¯t really hate An Lan, but rather detest An Lan¡¯s groveling to that couple without limits.¡±


    ¡°I want An Lan to stand up!¡±


    As Shi Lan spoke, her phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a WeChat message from Yan Shixiu: ¡°Having insomnia again?¡±


    After reading it, Shi Lan thought, Insomnia my ass, dealing with a horse here, thrilling as hell.

 Chapter 79 - Chapter 79: 079 isnt Boss Yan just wanting to chat?

    Chapter 79: 079 isn¡¯t Boss Yan just wanting to chat?


    However, realizing that Yan Shixiu was also staying up late until this hour, Shi Lan asked, ¡°Friend, if I don¡¯t sleep, will you not sleep either?¡±


    President Yan: ¡°Dealing with official business, I saw the light was still on next door.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°Then do you want to come over for a chat? [smile]¡±


    Did President Yan merely want to chat?


    President Yan was now crazily jealous of that body pillow.


    President Yan longed for an adult¡¯s 18+ life.


    President Yan: ¡°Is that possible?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°In your dreams, going to sleep.¡±


    Then, Yan Shixiu heard someone leave from next door, followed by the light in the next room being turned off.


    The room suddenly plunged into darkness, and Shi Lan, lying on the bed, suddenly felt the space beside her empty, so she found the body pillow again, hugged it sideways, and put one leg over ¡°President Yan¡¯s¡± lower half: ¡°Good night, friend.¡±


    ¡­


    Tang Ze didn¡¯t get home until well after midnight, and the first thing he did upon entering the house was to turn on the computer and look up Shi Lan¡¯s information.


    Without looking, he wouldn¡¯t have known, one look, and he was shocked. After reading Shi Lan¡¯s information, Tang Ze almost rolled off the chair because he had never seen such a hardcore profile.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    According to the data, let alone English and Italian, Shi Lan could also speak Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, and as for other languages, outsiders wouldn¡¯t know because they hadn¡¯t seen her show off, right?


    Not to mention horse riding, there¡¯s painting, skiing, diving, mountain car racing, and even a private pilot¡¯s license.


    As for titles, there are even more: Asian female magnate, well-known hand model, top collector, famous wine taster.


    Just looking at these was enough to show a wide variety of interests, not to mention Shi Lan¡¯s glorious achievements from childhood to adulthood.


    Most importantly, Huahai was established single-handedly by her, no wonder she could domesticate Gu Chengyu so thoroughly that he no longer dared to act like a superstar.


    What kind of divine female boss was she?


    Tang Ze felt that even if he laid the groundwork every day for 365 days, he still couldn¡¯t keep up with all the skills she had.


    However, thinking about An Lan¡¯s death, Tang Ze felt particularly frustrated, so he decided to follow the plan Shi Lan had described.


    ¡­


    Two days later, Glory finally completed the procedures and wanted to sign a formal endorsement contract with Shi Lan, but since Shi Lan was in her debt repayment period, even though the endorsement fee from Glory was a seven-figure sum, not a single penny could go into her pocket.


    If it had been An Lan before, Tang Ze might have needed to spend time explaining, but since the other party was Shi Lan, Tang Ze thought he probably didn¡¯t need to explain too clearly, the female boss would surely understand the stakes involved.


    ¡°With the income from this endorsement, your debt will be nearly gone,¡± he said.


    ¡°I just want to know what¡¯s my percentage for the film and business deals?¡± Shi Lan asked Tang Ze over the phone.


    ¡°Film is twenty percent, business is fifteen percent.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°You sold it pretty thoroughly, but first resolve the persona issue. Luckily I scraped some back off Gu Chengyu before. Otherwise, I¡¯d be eating dirt in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already requested leave on your behalf. The material shoot will take place three business days after the contract takes effect. The things you asked for, I¡¯ve already been laying the groundwork; don¡¯t worry,¡± Tang Ze now spoke to Shi Lan with great caution.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time to revisit some old grudges with Chen Beini.¡±


    After Shi Lan hung up the phone, the National Couple¡¯s shoot was also about to end. At that moment, Sun Ling asked Shi Lan, ¡°It¡¯s half a month until Gu Chengyu¡¯s birthday; the crew will help him celebrate, and there will definitely be a lot of media coming. Do you want to make a gesture?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s give him a gift. When you have time, help me order it online,¡± Shi Lan said while fanning herself with a small fan.


    ¡°What gift?¡±


    ¡°Just buy a ¡®An Actor Prepares¡¯,¡± Shi Lan replied lazily, ¡°It suits him just fine.¡±


    C

 Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: 080 Should I clarify for her?

    Chapter 80: 080 Should I clarify for her?


    Sun Ling burst out laughing, ¡°Sending this will get you cursed to oblivion by Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans. Aren¡¯t you blatantly mocking him?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going for the Revenge Queen persona? In half a month, the groundwork will be laid. What¡¯s so strange about mocking him?¡± Shi Lan retorted.


    ¡°By the way, there¡¯s a little brother in our group who has a birthday that day.¡±


    ¡°Then go find out more about him and give the kid a gift he¡¯d like. Make it thoughtful,¡± Shi Lan responded.


    ¡°Comparing the two, Gu Chengyu¡¯s fans will be furious to the point of insanity.¡±


    At this point, Shi Lan put down her hand fan, looked at Sun Ling, and said, ¡°These people cyberbullied An Lan back then, drove her into a corner, and even took pride in it. Now, they are escalating their efforts. I will make them understand that every time they cyberbully from now on, it will backfire on Gu Chengyu.¡±


    Before, Sun Ling, as an artist, dreaded reporters shoving microphones in her face, but now with Shi Lan, she wished reporters would come every day to serve themselves up on a platter.


    At that moment, Shi Lan looked toward the National Couple resting and wiping sweat in the distance, as if observing prey that was bound within a cage, yet blissfully unaware.


    Soon, they were going to taste the bitterness of darkness.


    ¡­


    In the past few days, Yan Shixiu¡¯s assistant had heard quite a bit about Shi Lan from the winds, mostly gossip from marketing accounts. He hadn¡¯t bothered to verify the truth. In the evening, he honestly reported to Yan Shixiu, ¡°Sir, there are a few gossip accounts spreading rumors that Miss An has found out who released her chat records with Gu Chengyu initially, and she plans to start taking her revenge by seizing the scooper¡¯s resources.¡±


    After listening, Yan Shixiu thought to himself, Hadn¡¯t she known already?


    ¡°Should we clarify for her?¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    Yan Shixiu closed the file, looked up at his assistant, and said, ¡°Clarify? If we clarify, how will she act her part? Offer double the price, buy a few more social media accounts, and flesh out the identity of the leaker. Make it as clear as possible that it¡¯s Chen Beini.¡±


    ¡°Although I don¡¯t understand why, I will do as instructed.¡±


    Yan Shixiu had no plans to explain to his assistant, only wishing to aid Shi Lan.


    Thanks to Huahai¡¯s embellishment, this ¡°false scoop¡± quickly spread. Fans from various camps gossiped intensely in the comments of marketing accounts:


    ¡°That A is An Lan, that G is Gu Chengyu, and that C, who leaked the chat record, is Chen Beini. Chen Beini¡¯s actions caused An Lan to be brutally cyberbullied and almost led to her death. So, An Lan has started her revenge mode, aiming to snatch Chen Beini¡¯s resources. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°An Lan had already drawn clear boundaries with Gu Chengyu before. Now that she knows the truth, she¡¯ll certainly harbor a grudge, but with her status, what resources can she possibly snatch from Beini¡¯s hands?¡±


    ¡°If An Lan really does this, I¡¯ll turn from hater to fan in an instant. Why can¡¯t a nice girl just walk her own path independently?¡±


    ¡°Take away my Nini, refuse the touch of vulgar vixens.¡±


    For a while, false information flew all over, as if making a proclamation. Although the marketing accounts¡¯ posts were all self-edited, the general message was consistent. Some had more details, some less.


    Chen Beini¡¯s fans felt like they had touched something dirty when they saw all this, cursing unceasingly.


    However, Shi Lan self-destructed her Weibo, turned off comments on her burner account, and didn¡¯t manage any fan clubs, leaving Beini¡¯s fans completely without an outlet to vent. The old An Lan cared about the curses, but the current Shi Lan, didn¡¯t care about petty school kids¡¯ squabbles.


    Moreover, if at this time, Chen Beini actually claimed her resources were being snatched, she would be falling right into Shi Lan¡¯s trap.

 Chapter 81 - Chapter 81: 081 Stop falling in love with Yan Zong on QQ

    Chapter 81: 081 Stop falling in love with Yan Zong on QQ


    The situation was getting widely known, much more sensational than when Chen Beini had openly said in the crew that she had given up resources for Shi Lan.


    Chen Beini was somewhat affected, but Glory was already finalizing a contract with Shi Lan. If she started complaining now, she would only embarrass herself.


    Her broker told her that Tianwang Entertainment had deliberately released this information to build a persona for Shi Lan, essentially stepping on her shoulders to climb up.


    If it were any other supporting actress, Chen Beini would not have tolerated it, but with Shi Lan, she dared not. After all, Yan Shixiu¡¯s warning still rang in her ears.


    Moreover, she had always been at a disadvantage in terms of acting, being dominated by Shi Lan to varying degrees every day, the severity of which depended on Miss Shi¡¯s mood.


    Who really was the leading lady of the production?


    Chen Beini was overwhelmed with negative emotions and ended up crying in the crew, but Gu Chengyu thought she was making a mountain out of a molehill. Which popular star hadn¡¯t fought their way through similar situations? Was there a need to get angry over such trivial matters?


    ¡°Gu Chengyu, you¡¯re not the one being scammed and drained. Of course, you can afford to be nonchalant,¡± she retorted.


    ¡°How many times have I been scammed in the past few years?¡± Gu Chengyu angrily countered, ¡°We¡¯re all in one crew now. Let¡¯s be considerate of each other.¡±


    Chen Beini loathed Shi Lan, but the latter was always lazily poised, enjoying imported fruits brought by Yan Shixiu every day, with assistants to tend to her needs. Her life couldn¡¯t be more comfortable.


    ¡­


    At that moment, Sun Ling was peeling an orange for Shi Lan, occasionally glancing over at the National Couple and relishing the angry glares he felt.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard some whispers from the crew,¡± Sun Ling whispered to Shi Lan, ¡°Chen Beini¡¯s assistant complained about her throwing temper tantrums in her room these past few days. I¡¯m really worried she¡¯ll have a stroke out of sheer anger.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    Because Shi Lan had blocked every possible counterattack path for Chen Beini.


    ¡°She¡¯s upset about this? What will she do when Glory makes the official announcement, commit seppuku?¡± Shi Lan remarked while eating her orange, completely disregarding Chen Beini as a minor annoyance.


    At that moment, a message from Yan general arrived on time.


    Yan general: ¡°I heard Chen Beini was sobbing heavily on set today.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°She probably couldn¡¯t get out of character, normal.¡±


    Yan general: ¡°It¡¯s hard on me when you bully her too much.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°Then go befriend her.¡±


    Yan general: ¡°[heartbreak]¡±


    Shi Lan didn¡¯t reply.


    The next second, another message from Yan Shixiu came through.


    Yan general: ¡°Don¡¯t push me away casually; I might take it seriously.¡±


    Shi Lan could feel Yan Shixiu¡¯s probing, almost bursting from his heart. After thinking for a long time, not knowing how to respond, she decided to leave it be.


    ¡°Stop flirting with Yan general over QQ; Director Tang is calling,¡± Sun Ling reminded her.


    Shi Lan tossed her phone to Sun Ling, rose from her chair, and after finishing that scene, she realized she still hadn¡¯t clarified the situation to Yan Shixiu. This man had plagued her life in her past life and continued to do so. She admitted he was handsome, capable, and charismatic, but¡­


    She hadn¡¯t yet tasted what it felt like to be free.


    Female tycoon Shi Lan, whether in her past life or this one, had never experienced the right to say no.


    It was a profoundly sad thing.


    The female tycoon sighed sorrowfully. After finishing the night scene, she and Sun Ling returned to the hotel. Just as she was about to reach her room, the door to room 1118 next door opened. Yan Shixiu, wearing only a shirt, came out, stood in front of Shi Lan, and earnestly said, ¡°I will try hard to be a sincere companion¡ª a friend. So, don¡¯t give me a nice guy card. How I care for you, how you care for me, we both win, how about that?¡±


    Shi Lan felt relieved and nodded. ¡°You¡¯re my number one, shining sugar daddy¡­¡±


    Seeing her relax, Yan Shixiu¡¯s lips slightly curled up. ¡°Drop the sugar daddy and call again?¡±

 Chapter 82 - Chapter 82: 082 Did the young lady confess at that time?

    Chapter 82: 082 Did the young lady confess at that time?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can get rid of the sponsor, but I can take out that NO.1, want to give it a try?¡± Miss Shi Lan asked with a smirk, looking at Mr. Yan.


    Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t tease her any further, lifted his wristwatch to take a glance, and said, ¡°It¡¯s late, go wash up and rest.¡±


    ¡°How long are you going to stay here?¡± Shi Lan, with her arms folded, continued to ask him, ¡°And besides, I will be shooting other works in the future, which will most likely not be in Yancheng, what then?¡±


    Yan Shixiu¡¯s gaze became clearer, as he slipped his right hand into his pocket, and countered, ¡°Has your insomnia been cured?¡±


    ¡°Sort of, the pillow has been indispensable.¡±


    Shi Lan¡¯s implication was clear to Yan Shixiu; merely living next to her wouldn¡¯t be much help if he truly wanted to enter her heart. However, Yan Shixiu hadn¡¯t come for that reason, but because of her insomnia.


    Therefore, he openly said, ¡°For a while longer, until the hotel matters are settled.¡±


    Shi Lan nodded, ¡°Then good night, friend.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, good night.¡±


    The two wished each other good night and then returned to their own rooms.


    While washing up, Shi Lan¡¯s mind cleared up a great deal. She seemed to have realized why Yan Shixiu had moved next to her; it all started when Sun Ling told him about her sleep disorder. His staying at the hotel wasn¡¯t to take advantage but to check on her sleep, otherwise, there was no need for him to keep an eye on the lights in her room or even stay up with her at night.


    Thinking of this, Shi Lan sighed. Although Yan Shixiu had become more outgoing in dealing with An Lan, some things never change, and he was still very good at hiding his true emotions and intentions.


    After lying back down on the bed, Shi Lan patted the human-shaped pillow¡¯s head a few times, ¡°So, you¡¯re the only one who cares, huh? The only one who¡¯s considerate, right?¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    After turning off the lights and setting her alarm, Shi Lan thought of an English song Yan Shixiu had sung to her before. She also had a favorite, ¡°Lousy man, you¡¯re getting a bargain getting to hear my divine voice.¡±


    After Yan Shixiu had finished his shower and was drying his hair, he heard a notification sound, found the black-rimmed glasses on the bedside table and put them on, then unlocked his phone.


    It was a voice message from Miss Shi Lan, 42 seconds long. Yan Shixiu glanced outside the window and noticed that the light was off in the next room. He chuckled lightly, then turned his gaze back and played the message. Following that, Shi Lan¡¯s singing voice came through. When she sang, it was entirely different from her talking voice, which had a girl¡¯s softness. But when singing, her voice was crisp, combined with her proper pronunciation, making her sound more like an international singer.


    The song was ¡°We Are One,¡± Shi Lan¡¯s favorite.


    Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t misunderstand by thinking Shi Lan was trying to express something through the lyrics; after all, she wasn¡¯t the type for such sentimentalities in love. She simply wanted to share something she liked.


    But these lyrics¡­ rounding to the nearest whole number, could it be considered Miss Shi Lan¡¯s confession?


    ¡­


    The efficiency from Glory¡¯s end was quite high. Even though they were adjusting their sales strategy for the Asia Pacific region, that didn¡¯t prevent them from having Shi Lan shoot their upcoming new series.


    The new series from Glory aimed to promote women¡¯s sports, and they had put in a great deal of effort both in design and quality.


    Most importantly, this ad shoot would be a collaboration with a magazine and would carry a high-quality, large-scale feel.


    The concern from the magazine was that Shi Lan might be too young to capture the wildness of Western women.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already asked for leave from Director Tang; he said you had exceeded your shooting tasks in the past few days, so he approved the leave very promptly. However, this ad shoot will take place in the desert.¡± Tang Ze spoke on the phone to Shi Lan, discussing the itinerary.

 Chapter 83 - Chapter 83: 083 Calling you to harass you

    Chapter 83: 083 Calling you to harass you


    ¡°I got it, you should prepare too. Take this chance to gather some more material during the shoot¡ªstuff like swimming, painting, horse riding. Release bits and pieces now and then to build up the hype for me,¡± Shi Lan said, looking down at her nails.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be tough on you, going through all that. I¡¯ll come over to pick you up tomorrow morning, we¡¯ve got a flight at noon. Have Sun Ling pack your luggage ahead of time.¡±


    These were all minor matters, but Shi Lan suddenly thought of Yan Shixiu from next door.


    While Sun Ling was packing the luggage, Shi Lan took out her phone and sent a message to Yan Shixiu.


    Shi Lan: ¡°I¡¯m going out for work tomorrow, back in two days.¡±


    Yan Shixiu: ¡°The Glory shoot? Where is it?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°In T City, the desert.¡±


    Yan Shixiu: ¡°What if you can¡¯t sleep?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°I¡¯ll call you to bother you.¡±


    Yan Shixiu: ¡°As long as you call, I guarantee you¡¯ll fall asleep.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°[Fist bump]¡±


    Yan Shixiu: ¡°Wishing you a smooth journey.¡±


    Shi Lan smiled briefly, put down her phone, and looked at the chibi Yan Shixiu on the sofa. Suddenly, she thought, maybe she could take this cute little thing with her?


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    The next morning, Tang Ze picked up Shi Lan¡¯s luggage from the hotel.


    Shortly after, Shi Lan also emerged from her room. She wore a black sports shirt and white wide-leg pants¡ªa very ordinary outfit that she somehow made look upscale. If the staff had not recognized her, they might have mistaken her for some superstar arriving at the hotel.


    Just as Shi Lan walked out the hotel¡¯s front door, she encountered the National Couple¡¯s early morning scene. Gu Chengyu turned around and saw her, but there was no trace of recognition in Shi Lan¡¯s eyes. She simply put on her cap and black sunglasses, caring for no one. Although she was playing a supporting role, she marched past Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini with a stride that suggested she recognized no one and hopped into the car.


    It was precisely because Shi Lan had become so cold and cool that Gu Chengyu felt a huge sense of loss in his heart. In the past, no matter where he was or how many people there were around, An Lan would instantly recognize him and appear at his side in the blink of an eye. But now, Shi Lan would treat him as if he didn¡¯t exist.


    Sun Ling, following behind Shi Lan, recorded the scene with his phone. It was incredibly satisfying. Who wouldn¡¯t feel vindicated watching it?


    At that moment, Chen Beini watched Shi Lan leave and huffed indignantly, ¡°Taking another leave? I¡¯m a top-tier actress and even I don¡¯t get as many leaves as her.¡±


    ¡°You wrapped up at seven last night, and An Lan at midnight. Group A had two scenes, Group B five,¡± Gu Chengyu instinctively defended Shi Lan.


    ¡°Gu Chengyu, there you go again, speaking up for An Lan. You couldn¡¯t be regretting it now, could you?¡± Chen Beini chuckled upon hearing him. ¡°Otherwise, no boyfriend would praise another woman in front of his own girlfriend, and what¡¯s more, she¡¯s already ignoring you¡­¡±


    ¡°Crazy,¡± said Gu Chengyu, feeling embarrassed and stung by the insinuation. He cursed at Chen Beini and quickened his pace out of the hotel.


    ¡°Gu Chengyu, don¡¯t walk away. My birthday¡¯s coming up, and you know how hard I¡¯m trying to make you happy. But every time I bring it up, you get impatient. You couldn¡¯t be waiting for An Lan¡¯s gift, could you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, stop making a scene, it¡¯s unreasonable,¡± Gu Chengyu said, truly impatient now as he shook off Chen Beini¡¯s grasp.


    Stunned by his action, Chen Beini stood there in disbelief.


    ¡°Fine, Gu Chengyu, I¡¯ll make you regret this.¡±

 Chapter 84 - Chapter 84: 084 Do I look like I care about your crap?

    Chapter 84: 084 Do I look like I care about your crap?


    Although the National Couple had a dispute, fortunately, all these issues arose after Shi Lan had left.


    But Chen Beini was not one to endure in silence, especially when she saw Gu Chengyu leaving without looking back, which left her furious and prompted her to take out her phone to post on Weibo.


    @Chen Beini: ¡°It seems some things are destined not to be kept.¡±


    By posting such a thing, it was bound to lead to speculation about a love fallout with Gu Chengyu, and with Shi Lan present on the set, netizens would definitely end up attacking Shi Lan, ideally digging out her repeated leaves of absence to berate the wench to death.


    Just as Chen Beini expected, her Weibo quickly gathered fans, who started asking:


    ¡°Is the little green tea causing trouble again? No, please, they¡¯re my favorite couple!¡±


    ¡°I knew that little green tea must be up to no good on set, you guys lock down the Gucci couple, don¡¯t break up.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t, our whole family is following your couple, you must stay together, I beg you!¡±


    ¡°Is that green tea, An Lan, troubling brother again, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    By the time Chen Beini entered the set, Gu Chengyu looked gloomy with his phone in hand, and if it wasn¡¯t for their careers being intertwined, he would have wished to break up with Chen Beini right there and then.


    Chen Beini felt her revenge had succeeded and went on to delete her Weibo post, in a vain attempt to cover things up, but this was akin to pouring oil on the fire.


    At that moment, Gu Chengyu put down his phone, walked over to Chen Beini, and said, ¡°I am exhausted every day, Chen Beini, I think I need to reconsider our relationship.¡±


    ¡°Reconsider our relationship, you just want An Lan!¡± Chen Beini scoffed, ¡°A few days ago, I was trampled down like that, you saw it with your own eyes, but did you care about me? But now An Lan gets scolded a bit, and you feel sorry for her?¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡°Yes, I feel sorry for her, are you happy now?¡±


    With that, Gu Chengyu walked away from Chen Beini.


    Chen Beini was left with tears streaming down her face, her eyes red with anger. Their argument was witnessed by many crew members on set, including Director Tang.


    Director Tang stood in front of the camera, sneering coldly, feeling even more that these two were always making a scene and would eventually self-destruct.


    As a result, Director Tang made a call to Yan Shixiu, this National Couple was really too much to handle.


    While what they did in private was none of Director Tang¡¯s business, he feared that if they kept it up, they might blow up the shooting schedule and cause disruptions.


    Chen Beini, unwilling to let things go and seemed to want to make more trouble, so Director Tang gave Yan Shixiu a heads-up, preparing to suppress Chen Beini¡¯s edge a bit.


    At that moment, Yan Shixiu was watching the trending topic of Chen Beini deleting her Weibo post, and upon clicking into it, found the trending square plastered with Chen fans and couple fans flinging personal attacks and curses at Shi Lan, with the occasional defense from Shi Lan¡¯s fans quickly drowning in the tide of traffic.


    An Lan¡¯s previous fan base was too poor, so she had forced Shi Lan to put up a barrier between herself and her fans.


    Yan understood that suppressing trending topics wouldn¡¯t help Shi Lan, but retaliation could help her regain fans.


    So, he contacted the young lady on WeChat.


    Yan: ¡°?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    For some reason, Shi Lan seemed to understand Yan Shixiu¡¯s question mark at a glance.


    Yan Shixiu didn¡¯t reply further, but quietly waited for Shi Lan¡¯s counterattack.


    A few minutes later, under Tang Ze¡¯s Weibo, a video was posted¡ªit was the one Sun Ling had recorded that morning, showing Shi Lan coolly and handsomely bypassing the National Couple, treating them as if invisible.


    Sun Ling had filmed this solely for the thrill, never expecting it to be useful so soon, but even without this clip, his phone was full of other videos of them at the set where Shi Lan never bothered with those two, alright?


    @Tang Ze: ¡°Do I look like someone who cares about your nonsense?¡±


    Yan was thoroughly impressed by Miss Shi¡¯s cool and fierce walking posture, and promptly instructed his assistant to enter and order, ¡°This video, tell every marketing account cooperating with Huahai to post it ten times in different styles.¡±


    Assistant: ¡°¡­¡±


    Shall we also stamp it on the foreheads of Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini?

 Chapter 85 - Chapter 85: Did sister give you too much freedom?

    Chapter 85: Did sister give you too much freedom?


    All kinds of marketing accounts dutifully received their tasks, some even set Shi Lan¡¯s mighty stride to bgm, making the video look even more thrilling and impactful. There were also video bloggers who compiled Shi Lan¡¯s previous incident of throwing the script at the National Couple and this walking video. Even bystanders couldn¡¯t help but hit replay ten times after watching, with the comments below saying:


    ¡°There¡¯s something cultish about the National Couple fans, the more I see it, the more I feel that Chen Beini has a certain¡­green tea flavor.¡±


    ¡°Just from An Lan¡¯s walking posture alone, I¡¯ve become a fan, thank you!¡±


    ¡°How many times has the National Couple fan group attacked An Lan now? They¡¯ve practically forced me to become an An Lan fan.¡±


    ¡°Please continue with that estranged stride, An Lan!¡±


    ¡°Those who dislike the National Couple can take a look at the Rotten Orange super topic; it¡¯s the National Couple¡¯s hater super topic, looking forward to your joining.¡±


    The name Rotten Orange was derived from the homophonic match with Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini¡¯s names, attracting nearly a hundred thousand haters. During the time when An Lan attempted suicide, the number of haters grew rapidly.


    The super topic¡¯s profile picture frame featured a rotten orange with a huge X drawn on it.


    After watching An Lan¡¯s walking video, the host of the hater super topic made an announcement in the super topic and tagged Tang Ze, saying, ¡°If An Lan is willing to take over, this can immediately become An Lan¡¯s personal super topic!¡±


    ¡°Seconded!¡±


    ¡°Seconded +1¡±


    There was no way An Lan would take over the hater super topic since it was filled with capital from various backers, a mix of good and bad, beyond control, but that did not stop Shi Lan from liking the host¡¯s post with her burner account.


    And since the video of Shi Lan¡¯s walk was released, anyone with eyes could see her indifference toward the National Couple.


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    Entanglement?


    Destruction?


    The fans of the Couple might as well go to bed and wash this off their minds.


    However, that didn¡¯t stop the fans from coming up with other excuses:


    ¡°A mere supporting actress acting more arrogant than the leads, who gave her the audacity?¡±


    ¡°Is this today¡¯s video? An Lan is not on the set again? Could you please be a little more professional? Slow down the shooting process.¡±


    Because of Shi Lan¡¯s staunch attitude in the video, it was clear to anyone that she was indifferent to the National Couple, which led the solo fans of each and the Couple fans to find other gaps to attack Shi Lan, such as being high-maintenance, unprofessional, frequent leaves, and slowing down the entire shooting process.


    Sitting in the airport lounge, bored out of her mind, Shi Lan saw how Gu Chengyu and Chen Beini¡¯s fans were biting at her heels like rabid dogs, so she logged in to her burner account for some amusement.


    @TurnToBlack, the real An Lan: @Chen Beini, are you sure you don¡¯t want to manage your fans? Shooting schedule exposure warning! NG video with 38 takes warning! You deal with your boyfriend, and I¡¯ll go my own way; your fans can target me for anything, but when it comes to professionalism and dedication, are you even qualified? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not like you, I won¡¯t delete my posts.¡±


    The implied Weibo post was posted by Chen Beini, now Shi Lan was skipping the fans and going straight to the source.


    Miss Shi¡¯s mental fortitude was first-rate, so even after arguing with Chen Beini, she could return to the set and continue filming, but Chen Beini could not.


    Whether it was exposing the shooting schedule or revealing Chen Beini¡¯s NG takes, all of it was highly unfavorable to Chen Beini, so when she saw Shi Lan¡¯s post, she panicked, vividly demonstrating what it means to shoot herself in the foot.


    Now revamping her image as one set on revenge, Shi Lan didn¡¯t need to pay particular attention to the tone she used when speaking to Chen Beini.


    Miss Shi thought to herself, has the little white lotus been tugging at sister¡¯s sleeve to play childish love games too liberally?

 Chapter 86 - Chapter 86: 086 Let the idiot sink to the bottom of the sea

    Chapter 86: 086 Let the idiot sink to the bottom of the sea


    Chen Beini, fearful that Shi Lan would truly expose everything, urgently clarified online, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the misunderstanding I caused. It was my grandma¡¯s kitten that passed away, so I posted that exclamation. I didn¡¯t expect it to cause such a big misunderstanding, and I deeply regret the great harm it caused An Lan. I sincerely apologize and hope my adorable fans will stop bothering innocent people. Love you! [heart]¡±


    Upon seeing Chen Beini¡¯s post, Miss Shi immediately rolled her eyes, realizing that there was someone even better at spouting nonsense than herself.


    Different voices began appearing in the comments section below Chen Beini¡¯s Weibo post:


    ¡°Your fans attacked An Lan all morning, and you didn¡¯t speak up. You only listen after An Lan shows her hand, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Suddenly, I feel like Chen Beini and An Lan have swapped identities, with Chen Beini¡¯s ¡®green tea¡¯ act getting more pronounced.¡±


    ¡°From the rotten orange super-topic here, like my comment. Chen Beini, I wish you a taste of being cyber-bullied one day.¡±


    ¡°Your cat dies, and you act as if you¡¯ve lost a spouse, directing your fans to cyberbully An Lan. Did An Lan desecrate your ancestor¡¯s grave in her past life?¡±


    Normally, the comments from Chen¡¯s fans would be at the forefront, but today these few comments received an unprecedented number of likes.


    After being suppressed by Shi Lan, Chen Beini apologized and obediently shut up.


    At that moment, Tang Ze, who was watching the drama unfold at the airport, gave Shi Lan a thumbs up, ¡°You¡¯re the real deal. I¡¯ve noticed you¡¯re regaining the favor of the public, especially those from the rotten orange hate super-topic¡ªthey¡¯re seriously impressed by you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? Let Chen Beini keep playing her games, I¡¯ll be waiting for her,¡± Shi Lan of having no friends.


    Because Shi Lan¡¯s revenge persona had been well laid out beforehand, after all, Chen Beini owed her a life for exposing those chat logs, so no matter what she did to Chen Beini, the public saw it as deserved.


    Tang Ze glanced at the time and then reminded Shi Lan and Sun Ling, ¡°It¡¯s about time. We should board the plane.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    Shi Lan nodded and was about to rise from the couch when she received a text from Gu Chengyu: ¡°An Lan, Beini lashed out at you because she had an argument with me, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    It was then that Shi Lan realized that not only was the female half of the National Couple bad, but the male half was even worse.


    So, Shi Lan handed the text to Tang Ze, a fellow man, to read.


    After a glance, Tang Ze clicked his tongue twice and said, ¡°Although I¡¯m a man, I still want to say two words, ¡®cheap scum¡¯!¡±


    ¡°That shows you still have a bit of male pride,¡± Shi Lan said before deleting the message, letting the fool sink to the bottom of the sea.


    ¡­


    After the incident caused by Chen Beini, her agency was extremely unsatisfied, giving her a verbal warning and proposing to temporarily take over her Weibo account.


    Chen Beini had been beaten down repeatedly throughout the day and felt incredibly groggy. Plus, Director Tang spared her no mercy, directly lashing out at her, ¡°Chen Beini, I¡¯ve realized that you lack self-respect. If you just want to be a star who¡¯s constantly involved in feuds, you¡¯d better get lost. How dare your fans still shamelessly scrutinize others¡¯ sick leave? An Lan finished in three days what takes you a week. Where do you get the courage?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Director, I will definitely reflect on my actions when I get back,¡± she said.


    Director Tang had heard such promises too often and knew it was like playing a lute to a cow; he had no expectation that Chen Beini would change¡ªhe just needed to vent his frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, if your private life continues to affect your work, I¡¯ll be ready to find a replacement anytime.¡±


    Chen Beini¡¯s face turned pale with fright. Although she was popular, she lacked quality works to solidify her status. If she really got dropped by Director Tang, the consequences would be unthinkable.


    ¡°Director Tang, I won¡¯t dare anymore, I truly won¡¯t dare¡­¡±


    With a cold laugh, Director Tang thought to himself, ¡®You won¡¯t dare? Even if the world comes to an end, you wouldn¡¯t stop your act.¡¯

 Chapter 87 - Chapter 87: 087 Ill show you tomorrow!

    Chapter 87: 087 I¡¯ll show you tomorrow!


    When Shi Lan got off the plane, it was four in the afternoon, and as soon as she turned on her phone, she saw a message from President Yan, ¡°Let me know when you arrive safely.¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°I am safe now.¡±


    President Yan: ¡°?¡±


    Shi Lan: ¡°I heard that the place we¡¯re going to isn¡¯t very safe, with frequent scams and robberies.¡±


    President Yan: ¡°Try to keep your temper in check, don¡¯t get into fights with anyone!¡±


    After reading this, Shi Lan couldn¡¯t help but laugh, thinking to herself that President Yan really did understand people.


    After spending a couple of hours at the airport, by the time the three of them headed for the hotel, it was already evening. Shi Lan had never been on such a bumpy bus ride, feeling somewhat queasy, but as she looked out the window, the desert sunset calmed her down.


    ¡°The conditions for this shoot are a bit tough, and the small town we¡¯re staying in doesn¡¯t have any good hotels. I¡¯ve heard the security in this area isn¡¯t very good, so after you go back to your rooms at night, try not to go out,¡± Tang Ze instructed Shi Lan and Sun Ling on their way to the hotel, ¡°Well, I¡¯m not worried about An Lan, I¡¯m more worried about Sun Ling.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sun Ling asked indignantly.


    ¡°Which of the following can you do? Gymnastics, fencing, climbing, or motocross?¡± Tang Ze countered Sun Ling.


    Upon hearing these, Sun Ling shook his head vigorously.


    ¡°But she can do all of them,¡± Tang Ze said, nodding at Shi Lan.


    Sun Ling looked at Shi Lan in astonishment and then bowed to her, ¡°Great master, my life is in your hands.¡±


    Go to ????????????????????.co


    ¡°In a place like this, if something really happens, you¡¯d be better off burying yourself quickly,¡± Miss Shi quipped.


    The three of them joked and laughed until they finally reached the hotel before it got dark. The staff from Glory and the magazine had arrived earlier and had already scouted the location for the advertisement shoot, so Shi Lan¡¯s remaining task was to get to know the partners she would be working with the next day during dinner.


    Finally, she could drink, and Miss Shi was a little excited, unaware that Yan Shixiu, after chatting with her on WeChat, had found many security incidents in T City online, including heinous cases like murder and dismemberment.


    If only he had interfered more and known that Glory had arranged the location there, he would have never let Miss Shi go, even if it killed him.


    The scenery may be beautiful, but the danger is also very real.


    After the car accident in Thailand, Yan Shixiu developed a tremendous fear of accidents.


    He could never let Shi Lan leave him again¡ªhe was determined to keep all potential accidents tightly clenched in his fist. So, he immediately called his assistant into the office, ¡°Book a flight ticket right away, the fastest one, I¡¯m going to T City.¡±


    ¡­


    In fact, Shi Lan¡¯s dinner with Glory and the magazine representatives wasn¡¯t as pleasant as she had imagined.


    These people were used to saying one thing to one person and another to someone else. To them, Shi Lan¡¯s status didn¡¯t warrant too much attention; even when they occasionally asked for her opinion, it was more of a formality and not because they truly valued her ideas. In short, the attitude they conveyed was simple: tomorrow you¡¯re just a tool, just follow our orders.


    Even so, the photographer was worried that Shi Lan might not be professional enough and could delay the schedule.


    After all, the scenery here was indeed beautiful, but also life-threatening.


    Shi Lan smiled without saying much, and though there wasn¡¯t much to talk about, the wine was genuinely good.


    Tang Ze and the other companion were both maintaining a polite but insincere demeanor, while Shi Lan took the opportunity to eat and drink her fill.


    Because she had heard the photographer¡¯s plans, and the next day¡¯s shoot would be quite wild, Shi Lan thought to herself that she might as well drink a few more glasses tonight to show them how wild she could be tomorrow!