Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Feng Yiyan's thumb pressed a slight indentation into the document he was holding.

The movement was so subtle that only Lu Zheyuan, standing beside him, noticed. He followed the sound and glanced over, his gaze pausing at the indentation. The smile in his eyes slowly disappeared.

After Lu Ke finished her audition, the director and others immediately agreed to cast her, and the subsequent candidates didn't need to audition anymore.

Her acting was a bit weak, and she lacked the sense of confusion when opening her eyes, but there was no helping it—this auditionee was simply too beautiful.

Acting skills matter, but sometimes they aren’t everything. For example, even if an ordinary beauty had perfect acting skills and powerful performances, she still couldn't convey the feeling of a peerless beauty.

There’s also transformative acting, but it heavily relies on the plot and character design. In such a short MV, there’s little room for character development.

In any case, the beauty Lu Ke showed on camera was unmatched by any other auditionee, and that was exactly the effect the MV needed.

The moment Lu Ke secured the role, the system chimed and announced, "Successfully passed the MV audition, obtained the female lead role, 100 points have been successfully awarded."

Lu Ke was overjoyed: "Great! I don't have to be reincarnated as a baby chicken!"

The system dampened her excitement: "What are you talking about? Reincarnating as a human takes 1,500 points. Do you know you only have 100 now? You're still far from it."

The little dog remained ecstatic.

"Can I greet my owner now?"

Lu Ke kept glancing at Feng Yiyan, her eyes filled with hope and longing, glowing with excitement.

The staff in the audition room found it both amusing and unexpected. They hadn’t expected a stunning beauty like Lu Ke to be such an open fan.

Although their CEO Feng's fans were extremely devoted, few would openly stare at him in such a setting. She wasn’t even afraid of angering CEO Feng and having him replace her right then and there.

Feng Yiyan sat behind the desk, exuding an air of aloofness and indifference, leisurely tidying up the documents on the table as if he didn't notice Lu Ke's intense gaze.

Behind Lu Ke, the male lead, Li Le, got up from the bed and quickly slipped a T-shirt over his muscular frame. He approached Lu Ke, his handsome face lit up with a bright smile, "Congratulations on getting the role. I look forward to officially working with you."

"To celebrate the victory, come on, give me a high-five?"

He raised both palms with a raised eyebrow.

Lu Ke recognized the gesture. As a dog, she’d often high-five her owner the same way. Just as she was about to happily return the high-five, a cool, graceful voice suddenly called out from across the room.

This voice was unmistakable. When passionate, its charisma could set everyone’s blood racing. When it deliberately projected coldness and detachment, it felt particularly aloof and distant, making one's ears itch but their spine slightly chill.

"Miss Lu."

He called her clearly and distinctly.

Lu Ke froze for a moment, then turned to look toward Feng Yiyan, only to find that Feng Yiyan was looking at her at some point.

She hesitated. "Feng Yiyan, are you talking to me?"

This was the first time she heard him call her like that.

The staff who hadn’t left yet gasped secretly. No way! This amateur actually called CEO Feng by his name? How bold! At least call him Teacher Feng, right?

Some people turned their heads to sneak a glance at Feng Yiyan, only to find that their CEO's expression was calm, but his eyes were slightly cold, and there seemed to be a hint of coldness at the corner of his mouth.

Ouch.

He really doesn’t seem happy.

Is he going to replace the lead actress right now? No way, it’s hard to find someone prettier than her," the staff thought, panicking.

"Hmm."

Feng Yiyan gave Lu Ke a cold nod.

The staff had sharp eyes and noticed Feng Yiyan’s mocking sneer.

Feng Yiyan was indeed sneering mockingly.

Back in the car and on the phone, she kept calling him 'brother,' but now she’s stopped. Maybe she’s found a new 'brother' she likes better.

"Come here. I need to go over a few things with you," he said, his tone icy.

"Oh!"

Lu Ke instantly forgot about Li Le and eagerly walked over.

Even though Lu Ke ditched her 'new brother' without hesitation and ran back to her 'old brother,' Feng Yiyan’s expression stayed cold, and his tone was all business.

He explained, "The official shoot is scheduled for next Monday. Before that, you need to take care of your appearance. No pimples on your face, no staying up late and getting dark circles, and no cutting vegetables or handling sharp objects—you don’t want any cuts."

"And avoid mosquito bites—no scars on your body, got it?"

"Most importantly, don’t put on any weight."

Lu Ke nodded eagerly but hesitated at the last point, nodding reluctantly, "...Got it."

Only then did a faint smile flicker in Feng Yiyan’s eyes, but just barely.

"The shoot is still in this park. Assistant Fang will give you the exact location."

"The shoot will last about a week. You’ll get 150,000 after taxes, transferred to your account once it’s done. We’ll sign the contract this afternoon."

Hearing this, Red Soul and Pink Soul both muttered curses under their breath.

Lu Ke: "What’s wrong?"

The two souls were too annoyed to say anything.

Back when they were filming, they only got 60,000—and that was before taxes. Seriously, it’s tripled now!

Talk about favoritism!

Although they were complaining like crazy in their heads, they didn’t dare to say it out loud to Lu Ke.

They still remembered clearly how Lu Ke had turned down Madam Feng’s million-dollar offer. In some ways, this goofball really doesn’t care about money. If she found out, she’d probably ask for less money.

"Nothing, just focus on talking to the lead actor."

"Oh."

Even though they didn’t say anything, Lu Ke still thought it was too much. Her eyes widened as she asked Feng Yiyan, "150,000 for just a week of shooting? That’s a lot!"

Now she makes way more than before by finding lost pets—her best day was finding five and earning over 5,000—but 150,000 in a week still feels like a lot to her.

Feng Yiyan knew exactly what this airhead was thinking. He’d been there when she turned down Feng Lihua’s offer and didn’t feel like arguing. He finished packing and stood up. "Go look up what actors usually make, then come talk to me."

Lu Ke went, "Oh," and indeed took out her phone to check on the spot, then was blown away by the actors' salaries.

That high?

In comparison, 150,000 doesn't seem like much.

What Lu Ke didn't realize was that the remuneration for MV actors is different from that of TV drama actors, especially for newcomers like her. Many newcomers only make a few thousand for an MV shoot.

Lu Ke quickly brushed it off, put away her phone, and followed closely behind Feng Yiyan, her puppy-like enthusiasm kicking in.

"Feng Yiyan, how's it going?"

"It's lunchtime, wanna grab some food?"

"Lunch?"

Lu Zheyuan hung back a step, trailing behind them, expressionless, always on his phone, barely noticeable.

When Lu Ke invited him to lunch, Feng Yiyan didn't say yes or no. Lu Ke took it as a yes and happily followed him.

As they headed downstairs, Feng Yiyan walked at the front, Lu Ke right on his heels, just a step behind.

Just like Feng Yiyan himself, his back was strikingly graceful. From behind, one could see his beautiful back of the head, the clean and cold white nape of his neck, the hint of his spine peeking out from his collar, two earrings on his left ear, and his hands casually tucked in his pockets, relaxed.

If you got close enough, you could catch a whiff of cedarwood, fleeting and hard to catch.

The puppy trailed after him, step by step, her eyes fixed on the grown-up Feng Yiyan but her mind recalling him as a child, when she always ran ahead during their walks.

But if she ran ahead now, he definitely wouldn't follow.

When they reached the stairwell, they suddenly spotted Lu Shiling in a white dress downstairs, looking up at them with a gentle smile.

"A Yan, Zhe Yuan."

As for the stunning beauty Lu Ke closely following Feng Yiyan, Lu Shiling's eyes barely glanced her way, as if she had only seen an insignificant passerby.

Feng Yiyan halted, surprised: "Shi Ling, why are you here?"

Lu Shiling smiled: "Zhe Yuan asked me to have lunch together. I was just heading up to find you, and then I saw you coming down."

Lu Zheyuan, who was at the back, quietly exited the real-time location sharing and turned off his phone.

Lu Zheyuan joined the conversation with a smirk: "Recently found a nice Indian restaurant, tastes similar to the one we used to eat at in high school."

Lu Shiling: "You mean the one we went to every weekend during that time?"

The three started chatting.

These three seemed to have completely forgotten about Lu Ke, talking about topics only they could discuss.

In Lu Ke's mind, Pink Soul spoke softly: "The white moonlight shouldn't have come at this time, it seems our puppy has made her feel threatened."

Red Soul couldn't control her irritation: "Damn, I hate their act the most!"

This familiar feeling made her resentment surge.

She was always isolated like this when doing tasks before, and words like awkward, uncomfortable, and lonely were not enough to describe that feeling.

Lu Ke indeed couldn't get a word in, but she wasn't the least bit unhappy.

When the owner walks the dog and meets friends, they chat, and as the dog, she just sits beside them and waits, which is normal. It's like when adults catch up and talk, and the child waits beside them.

After chatting for a while, Lu Shiling found it difficult to keep the conversation going.

A normal person would have taken the hint and left by now, right? Yet she just stands there, much thicker-skinned than expected, or perhaps just very composed.

Despite her disdain for Lu Ke, Lu Shiling showed no sign of it, smiling softly at Feng Yiyan and Lu Zheyuan, "Let's go, it's past eleven, let's find a place for lunch."

Before Feng Yiyan and Lu Zheyuan could respond, Lu Ke cheerfully exclaimed, "Great, let's go eat!" Finally, the chatting is over; time to eat.

"...?" Lu Shiling's perfect smile stiffened slightly.

Is she really that thick-skinned or just oblivious?

They didn't invite you.

She hesitated, wanting to say something to shake off Lu Ke, but Lu Zheyuan had already turned around, curling his lips into a cold smile towards Lu Ke, his eyes not reflecting the smile, instantly creating a sense of distance towards a stranger.

He said, "Miss Lu, we three friends are catching up, we won't be taking you along, you can handle lunch by yourself."

This was straightforward and left no face, the previous closeness like a mirage, vanished without a trace.

Even the address had changed to a polite but cold "Miss Lu."

Lu Ke was stunned.

Not taking her to lunch?

The system was heartbroken: "Sweetie, let's find a place to have lunch ourselves, rest a bit after lunch, and come back to sign the contract in the afternoon."

Compared to the system, which was used to it and could calmly comfort Lu Ke, the two souls reacted much more violently.

Red Soul was so angry her soul trembled, "I knew these people would change faces when they meet Lu Shiling... scum, these scums."

The real core circle of the male leads is impenetrable to others, trying to break in only leads to a bloody head, but even if you die trying, you might only get a cold, disdainful glance.

They've tried throwing away their dignity, being shameless, but all they got were bloody lessons.

Thus, they concluded a truth—in this circle, there's only one Lu Shiling, protected like the apple of their eye. If Lu Shiling shows the slightest unhappiness, the male leads will step in to solve it, without her needing to lift a finger.

The sparkle in Lu Ke's eyes dimmed instantly, her eyelashes drooping in disappointment.

The system was even more heartbroken, comforting Lu Ke: "Let's just take the plot points, ignore them! Just go through the motions of the task!"

Red Soul's voice was icy: "Let's go, who cares about their meal! They're all rotten, let them eat shit."

This level of betrayal isn't even an appetizer, there's far worse to come, enough to make one sick.

Pink Soul's voice trembled slightly, soft yet firm, saying to Lu Ke: "Darling, tell them you're not going now, then turn around and leave immediately."

At least, keep some dignity, don't wait for Feng Yiyan to drive you away.

His words would be even more merciless and humiliating than Lu Zheyuan's.

But the puppy wouldn't think so much, Lu Ke looked at Feng Yiyan disappointedly, her blue eyes downcast, directly asking him: "Can I really not have lunch with you?"

Feng Yiyan looked down at Lu Ke.

Before he could speak, the always gentle Pink Soul broke down, screaming in pain and resentment: "Why are you still asking him! Before he speaks, leave quickly!"

They shared a vision, and at this moment, it felt as if they had returned to the days of doing missions together, the sense of humiliation was so intense it felt like it could burn her to ashes.

However, after Feng Yiyan spoke, what he said was, "Bring her along. She'll be too busy eating to butt into our conversation."

This response was directed at Lu Zheyuan's earlier excuse of catching up with old friends.

Once Feng Yiyan had spoken, Lu Zheyuan, though unwilling, did not speak further, and Lu Shiling also remained silent, only her fingers tightening slightly.

Pink Soul was momentarily stunned in disbelief, her ethereal form collapsing weakly on the spot, quietly shedding a single tear.

Red Soul rolled over to Pink Soul's side and let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Lu Ke's mood lit up instantly, as if the gloomy clouds of disappointment had been blown away by the sun, and a brilliant rainbow once again shone in her clear blue eyes: "Thank you, Feng Yiyan! Hooray!"

Thank you, Feng Yiyan! Long live Feng Yiyan, my Master is the best!

Feng Yiyan let out a soft snort, unable to tell whether it was amusement, mockery, or something else entirely.

He thought Lu Ke was a strange person.

She seemed to treat everyone like a friend, greeting everyone with warmth and friendliness, as if she fully accepted them.

But earlier, she had been chatting just fine with Lu Zheyuan, yet Lu Zheyuan's sudden coldness didn't faze her in the slightest. Now, after being allowed to join them for lunch, she was still so cheerful.

Was it because she valued him so much that just being able to eat with him made her so happy? Or was it because her mind was simple, and her serotonin levels were unusually high?

Of course, it could also be a combination of all three.