Chapter 7

While Gu Jinlan was furious, Ye Zhen sneezed.

He is currently participating in a variety show—the movie that Gu Jinlan previously invested in, which has already boosted his value even before its release.

This is a variety show that tests acting skills. Some actors couldn't participate due to scheduling conflicts, so their agents squeezed them in.

My childhood sweetheart also happens to be one of the investors in this variety show, so she was also there to watch the fun.

For stage actors, who are born for the stage, this is a perfect opportunity for publicity.

The first episode was full of hype.

Actors draw lots to determine their opponents, and then perform a theatrical act as a warm-up act.

The real show is yet to come.

The actor will randomly call three amateur friends using his phone. If one of them accepts, the actor must perform the next scene with that amateur friend.

If all three refuse, the actor can perform with a substitute amateur friend.

The rules sound terrifying, but their actual implementation isn't that scary.

The acting circle is full of actors; you can pick anyone with professional skills.

Moreover, although personal cell phones were confiscated, the ones actually taken out were work cell phones, and the people inside had all been informed beforehand.

Ye Zhen had already made arrangements with the person on the phone, a senior actor who came from a martial arts drama background.

The other party had shown him kindness on several occasions, so Ye Zhen reciprocated by giving him some exposure in return.

After Ye Zhen drew the script, he felt that heaven was helping him.

This is a period drama novel containing ambiguous homosexual elements.

The talented emperor was imprisoned after his city was attacked by a general from an enemy state.

Full of tension, with luxurious clothing.

But in the very first act, a shocking turn of events occurred.

Ye Zhen's opponent is a popular figure, not very capable but with a big temper.

They also had a supporting actress in the film, a girl who wasn't very famous.

The script needed to be rewritten, and since he couldn't easily change Ye Zhen's parts, he cut a lot of the girl's lines. The girl had already worked hard to get this kind of variety show, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"Too many lines don't fit the character." Ye Zhen frowned. "He Ming, she's playing a maid. The more charming she is, the better it reflects your aloofness and composure. If you cut her lines, your character will be hard to establish."

Traffic rolled its eyes and reluctantly gave in.

But during rehearsals, the actor had to act out knocking over a teacup on a tray, and if the girl got too close to the camera, he could splash water on her.

Seeing that the filming was behind schedule, the director became extremely anxious and had no choice but to yell at the little girl: "You don't even know how to move properly? You need someone to teach you step by step?"

The little girl was a college graduate who had just graduated from film school. She had never suffered such injustice before, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.

She fought back tears, changed her clothes, and made sure her face wasn't in the shot before she could finish that part.

Ye Zhen had also suffered similar losses along the way, and seeing this, he secretly felt a surge of anger.

There is no gender advantage in this industry; everyone is a competitor. The traffic star sees that the young girl is beautiful, has a good posture, and delivers excellent lines, and is afraid that the broadcast will steal his thunder, so they deliberately try to undermine her.

"When it's my turn, I'll add some lines for you."

Ye Zhen's character was originally in love with the maid, but he deleted his own lines and changed them to wanting to hug the girl's shadow reflected on the wall.

Instead, the little girl was asked to sing and dance at the same time.

Ye Zhen got angry when she saw the popular actor bullying the newcomer, so when they acted opposite each other, Ye Zhen exuded a powerful aura, her eyes were sinister, and she actually scared the popular actor so much that he couldn't keep up with the scene several times.

The filming was barely completed, and the traffic was a complete disaster.

The scene where the maid Bingmei dances while Ye Zhen secretly embraces his shadow on the wall is the perfect finishing touch, earning unanimous praise from the audience and judges.

Although it didn't trend on Weibo, it generated a lot of discussion.

When Gu Jinlan saw her, Ye Zhen was dressed in a simple white dress, her robes fluttering in the wind, gently embracing her figure.

That person had the graceful bearing of a plum blossom and the elegant demeanor of a crane, with eyes full of deep affection, like a pool brimming with stars and moon.

He knew he was capable, but the GIF was so well-captured that it made Gu Jinlan feel a tightness in her chest.

Could Ye Zhen also like women?

Come to think of it, he had never looked at me like that before.

Gu Jinlan rearranged her schedule, changing her afternoon flight to 5 a.m., planning to take a red-eye flight to the meeting.

He's going to the scene.

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The traffic driver actually has a good relationship with the organizer's executives. When he saw the clip of Ye Zhen and the girl generating a lot of buzz online, he was furious and convinced that Ye Zhen was deliberately trying to boost his own popularity by putting him down.

He deliberately mingled among the staff and switched Ye Zhen's personal phone with his work phone.

Ye Zhen, however, was oblivious and focused solely on the rehearsals.

Because there were limited assistants available, extra rehearsals had to be arranged with other people, and my childhood friend volunteered to be the stage costume performer.

But Ye Zhen felt that he was deliberately causing trouble for her.

No matter how painful or vulnerable he appeared just moments before, the moment his childhood sweetheart, who plays the general, pins him against the wall, he bursts into laughter.

"Am I ugly?" Ye Zhen gritted her teeth in anger. "What are you laughing at!"

"Yes, I'm sorry..." The childhood sweetheart bent over, unable to stop herself from laughing, "I can't help but laugh at the thought of possibly having to call you aunt in the future."

Straight men are the most infuriating creatures in the world; Ye Zhen really wanted to kick him out.

Unbeknownst to Ye Zhen, the production team secretly filmed some behind-the-scenes footage and broadcast it live.

Of course, the childhood sweetheart's face wasn't shown, but her expression did appear in the shot.

Gu Jinlan was on the phone with her beloved Bai Yueguang at that time.

Saying goodbye to the past is not easy, because it's like burying your youth.

Gu Jinlan remained silent for a long time before finally speaking: "Sheng Ming, we can't go back to the past. I don't want to hold you back. I have to tell you that I have someone else in my heart."

"Is it because of Ye Zhen?" Bai Yueguang's voice was very calm. "He is indeed very cute, but Jinlan, you have waited for me for so many years. Putting yourself in my shoes, I can wait too."

He didn't give Gu Jinlan a chance to speak again and hung up the phone directly.

Gu Jinlan rubbed her temples, feeling extremely tired, and habitually opened Weibo to search for news about Ye Zhen.

To everyone's surprise, what she saw was someone gripping Ye Zhen's slender neck, their eyes red and swollen, like crushed flower petals.

Those hands were adorned with a globally limited edition watch—owned only by Xie Chengming in China.

The temperature around Gu Jinlan dropped immediately.

Suddenly, the phone of the passenger assistant in the front seat rang. It was Green Light calling: "Love is a light..."

Gu Jinlan's expression turned serious: "Throw it away, or your entire year-end bonus will be deducted."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'll give you an extra ten phones this month."

Unable to withstand the pressure, the assistant tearfully bid farewell to his phone in the trash can as he parked the car.

Gu Jinlan looked out the window, his dark eyes reflected in it, like a trigger waiting to be pulled.

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As the second performance began, Liu took out his phone and projected it onto the stage screen.

Ye Zhen panicked the moment he saw the desktop—the staff had made a mistake; this was clearly his personal phone!

But the live stream camera was already on, so everything had to continue. The stream gave Ye Zhen a meaningful smile.

"Alright, now for the exciting part: the amateur friends will perform together."

His eyes gleamed with confidence and ambition.

He swiped through Ye Zhen's phone, the large screen's contact list stopping at the word "creditor": "Wow, you stupid creditor! Who does Ye Zhen owe money to? How about this one?"

The fact that a well-regarded actor is actually in debt is a topic that could easily become a hot topic.

The director and production team ignored Ye Zhen's gestures and did not cut the program.

Led by staff members, the audience members began to cheer and shout "Good!"

Ye Zhen gritted his teeth, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

"Stupid creditor" was the nickname he gave Gu Jinlan in his contact list.

The worst part is that he no longer knows whether it's more terrifying to have Gu Jinlan cooperate with his acting or to let the whole country know that he called Gu Jinlan a stupid creditor.

He glanced at the production team and the massive online traffic, and silently lit a candle for them and himself.