Chapter 23

Undercover agent?

Upon hearing those two words, she felt a sudden pang of fear, and her face turned pale, as if something terrible had happened.

Watching the crowd on stage rehearsing without noticing, Zhu Yu, feeling somewhat exhausted, leaned on a nearby chair and sat down, slowly curling up.

An inexplicable panic swept over Zhu Yu, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

A scene suddenly flashed through my mind...

It is a cramped room where the earth shakes and the sky trembles; it is the despair of being betrayed by loved ones who stand on the opposite side.

Within just a few breaths, Zhu Yu's back was soaked with sweat.

After Zhu Yu encountered a problem, all the instruments in that room suddenly emitted a sharp, explosive sound.

In contrast to the panic everyone experienced last time, this situation is actually the result of their careful planning and manipulation.

"Quickly, record the characteristics of the traitor that Zhu Yu just saw in the footage!"

"Pay attention! The value is approaching the lowest line. You must immediately detach yourself from your emotions!"

"3, 2, 1!"

Zhu Yu took a deep breath, emerging from her surging emotions. Seeing that no one on the stage had noticed her unusual behavior, she collapsed into her chair, panting heavily.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with my hand. My limbs were still a little sore, as if I had just lost contact with them.

With some effort, Zhu Yu picked up her phone and put on her best acting skills, speaking in a soft and cheerful tone: "I won't do such a thing. No one else has done anything wrong. If you ask me to do this, they'll see me as a traitor!"

After sending the message, I didn't receive a reply from Shi Ru immediately, so I guess he must be busy with something.

Zhu Yu didn't mind. She held onto the back of the seat in front of her and prepared to stand up, so that she could get closer to the stage and learn from the methods of her seniors.

What are you doing in the audience? Did they bully you?

A hand suddenly rested on the side of Zhu Yu's hand, which was resting on the back of the front seat.

The heat from the man's body spread towards Zhu Yu, who lowered her eyes slightly to look at the man standing a step lower than her.

The person who came was Zhou Ye.

Although this play belongs to Connor, as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, Zhou Ye can come and go as she pleases without anyone stopping her.

Moreover, several of the actors on stage today are stars from his company.

Seemingly afraid that Zhu Yu would run away, Zhou Ye kept one hand on the chair and the other hand in his pocket.

Standing at ease, it stretched out one leg, completely blocking the already narrow passageway.

Unless Zhu Yuhou leaves the theater directly, there is no way to get around him.

"Don't go! This director and several lead actors are all under my command. If you come with me, I'll have them take care of you, how about that?"

Zhou Ye reached out his hand towards Zhu Yu, seemingly wanting to grasp her shoulder.

"Mr. Zhou, do we know each other?"

In fact, Zhu Yu meant that the two of them had no interaction in life or work, but Zhou Ye, who was abnormal, interpreted it differently.

Hearing the girl's sweet voice, which she couldn't hide even though she was suppressing her shock and anger, Zhou Ye felt as if spring had arrived, and he put his hand, which was blocking his way, back into his pocket.

The men's trousers had very large pockets, so Zhou Ye was not afraid of being seen even when he stood up in public.

He even proudly adopted a posture of anterior pelvic tilt, moving his hand away from Zhu Yu while twisting his waist in an attempt to bring his bulging purse closer to her.

The stage was brightly lit, and all filth had nowhere to hide, but Zhu Yu was standing below the stage at this moment.

She looked around and realized that she had walked to a seat far back because of the uncomfortable images that had flashed through her mind.

This resulted in Zhu Yu being quite far away from the others, creating an opportunity for Zhou Ye to harass her.

There are only three aisles in the theater, and Zhu Yu was in the longest row in the middle.

With no way to avoid it, Zhu Yu glanced at the tiered seating and gritted her teeth. She braced herself against the backrest next to her and lifted her leg high onto the armrest.

I spotted a gap between the seats in front of me and jumped across.

"Thud!" Because the landing area was too small, Zhu Yu bumped into a chair while swaying, making a loud noise.

It blended in with the thunder that happened to come from the stage.

Without time to hesitate, seeing Zhu Yu run away, Zhou Ye's face turned completely gloomy, but a twisted smile appeared on his lips.

It's okay to run away; it's more fun with a touch of wildness!

He doesn't mind showering such exquisite delicacies with extra pampering before enjoying them, even if it means becoming spoiled and arrogant.

However, Zhou Ye did not let Zhu Yu escape. He stood still and waited for his pocket to shrink before slowly chasing after Zhu Yu.

Although he had only walked a few steps, seeing Zhu Yu's agile figure emerging from the gaps in her clothes as she ran, his trouser pockets slowly began to bulge again.

"Mr. Zhou, what brings you here today?"

Before they knew it, the two of them had been chasing each other to the front seats, and the commotion Zhu Yu made finally caught their attention.

As the boss, Zhou Ye was immediately surrounded by people who treated him with utmost respect. Feeling somewhat annoyed, he stopped in his tracks and looked at the fawning faces of the group of people in front of him. Suddenly, he thought of an even more amusing scenario.

"Alright, I've come here today to take a look. I'm planning to invest in a movie soon."

Zhou Ye winked and glanced at the people who were handing him cigarettes and lighting them, then looked back at the person who was holding down the automatic folding seat for him. He then leisurely sat down and comfortably enjoyed the company.

"You guys continue with your acting, don't worry about me."

Hearing him say that, the director naturally followed his lead and sent everyone back to their posts.

"Hey you, come here." Before he could give the new lead actors a few more instructions, Zhou Ye's voice rang out again.

"Me? Me?" The director walked over with a somewhat flustered hunch and half-squatted next to Zhou Ye's seat.

"Why don't we let that girl go on stage?" Zhou Ye pointed at Zhu Yu, who was hiding in a corner at a distance, with his cigarette in hand.

“This…” Recalling his actions and that arrogant phone call earlier, the director couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

He made things difficult for an actress because of his personal emotions, even resorting to workplace bullying. Now, is the backer of the person who was wronged helping her get revenge?

"Don't be afraid, I'm not here to interrogate you." Seeing the director's expression, Zhou Ye calmly observed for a while before patting his shoulder reassuringly.

"She's not very obedient, I need you to help me teach her some manners."

Zhou Ye was unaware that Zhu Yu's current treatment was due to someone calling the director to ask for special treatment, but without offering the director any tangible benefits, which led to the director's anger.

In his view, this is the treatment one should receive when there are no financial backers or capital backing them.

Otherwise, how could he have turned these little seagulls into adorable canaries?

"Uh, Mr. Zhou, I don't quite understand what you mean..." The director paused for a moment, lowering his head as he spoke, avoiding Zhou Ye's gaze, which seemed to see right through him.

"Director Zhu, you've filmed no fewer than 20 movies for our Zhou family, haven't you?" Zhou Ye took a drag of his cigarette, his eyes still fixed on Zhu Yu, and spoke in what seemed like casual conversation.

"You must be familiar with my style of doing things?" Zhou Ye said, glancing at the director who was secretly looking up at his expression.

Caught off guard, the director's eyes met Zhou Ye's, and he immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Before he could even gather his words of praise, Zhou Ye continued:

"Zhu Yu is as her name suggests, a piece of unpolished jade. Director, please put in a lot of effort." The cigarette butt was thrown in front of the director's knees as he landed, and his pointed leather shoes stepped on it in the flickering light of the cigarette ash.

As the director watched the action unfold, he lowered his head and straightened his back, swallowing hard as his brain raced, trying to figure out if Zhou Ye was being sarcastic or not.

"After it's done, I'll give you a Museum V Card."

Zhou Ye stood up, no longer paying attention to Zhu Yu's movements, and without waiting for the director's reply, turned and walked towards the door.

Upon hearing the words "museum of curiosities," the director's eyes shifted from hesitation to struggle, and then to determination.

The time spent hesitating is often much longer than the time spent making a subsequent change.

The Museum of Curiosities is a private club accessible only to the elite within the circle. It is not only a symbol of status and prestige, but also offers access to resources that are incomparable to those available to outsiders.

Although the V card is only the lowest level of access to the museum, the director believes that as long as he can get in and meet those big shots, he will eventually become a rising star!

So I'm sorry, Zhu Yu! Who told you to cling to Young Master Zhou's coattails and still end up disliked by others?

It was Young Master Zhou who personally ordered him to teach you a lesson, it has nothing to do with him, a mere director! He's just Young Master Zhou's lackey.

It's not shameful to do things for money!

Thinking this way, the director stood up confidently and walked to the side of the stage with a sense of triumph.

"Cut! How many times have I told you, this can't be done here..."

Something was strange... Zhu Yu noticed that Zhou Ye and the director talked for a long time, and Zhou Ye was calm and composed when he left, while the director suddenly became incredibly excited.

Zhou Ye must have said something to him, but what could it have been that made the director so excited?

Additional investment? Or the production company behind the new series?

Or is it related to her?

It wasn't that Zhu Yu was narcissistic; it was just that her heart, which had been pounding uneasily in her chest, was constantly sending out warning signals that felt like she was being strangled.

It was as if something bad was about to happen.

"Zhu Yu! Zhu Yu!"

Before she could think it through, she heard the director shouting at her. Zhu Yu quickly moved from the shadows where she was hiding to a place where the director could see her.

"Director, I'm here."

"Go buy everyone a cup of coffee. We've been rehearsing for ages, and everyone's voices are hoarse."

"Uh... shall I order takeout now?"

In the workplace, one of the most unavoidable things is being asked by your boss to treat your colleagues to coffee... But thankfully, if treating them to coffee can earn you a chance to go on stage, Zhu Yu is quite willing to do so.

"Why order takeout? There are several coffee shops to the left of the theater entrance. Why don't you go there? Everyone is so thirsty, takeout is too slow."