Fan Qing finally slept in for once.
By the time he woke up, it was nearly ten in the morning.
Lately, he had a little more free time.
Not that it was anything else—Hua’er was developing faster than he had imagined.
In just a month, Hua’er had grown enough that Fan Qing could afford to sleep in occasionally like this.
He didn’t even need to worry too much about the company’s affairs.
That was very good.
Leisurely making himself some breakfast, Fan Qing lounged on the sofa in pajamas that didn’t belong to him.
The movie he had been preparing had officially started filming.
Riding the tailwind of Jin Si’s earlier support, he had the director announce that the male lead was Nie Luo.
Just as he had expected, many actors who had initially claimed no availability or interest in auditioning suddenly reconsidered after the news came out.
Could it be called the effect of Nie Luo?
Fan Qing sipped his milk.
Speaking of which, there was another matter.
That young screenwriter, indeed, was as he had suspected—a seeming misfortune magnet who actually turned disaster into luck.
For example, when he and Hua’er hadn’t seemed to be chosen, the talent show had ended up getting disrupted by Jing Yuan anyway.
Or, although his script seemed rejected multiple times, it was ultimately introduced to Tenghuang thanks to Hua’er.
Or, during a moment of excitement on the subway, he accidentally picked a suitable assistant ahead of schedule.
In fact, Fan Qing now realized the young screenwriter, who seemed so unlucky, actually came from a well-off family—screenwriting was just his dream.
…Tch.
Fan Qing drank another mouthful of milk expressionlessly.
It didn’t matter; he was going to be one of their own staff anyway.
And the more lucky “geese” there were, the better.
For instance, investors conveniently showing up on their own.
The young screenwriter had indeed never managed to submit his script successfully.
But among the many synopses he had printed, one had successfully reached the right people.
And it led to a collaboration.
The collaboration involved the two people in front of him.
As soon as Fan Qing arrived on set, he saw a man and a woman gathered around Nie Luo.
“Mr. Nie, shall we run through this scene together again?”
The woman speaking was exactly thirty, a top star under Yingfeng Entertainment, Lu Qia, who had just won the Best Actress award last year. This film was her trial step into cinema.
“I told you yesterday to rehearse with me first, but you refused to believe me. Now you’re bothering Mr. Nie again.”
The man speaking was thirty-five, though he looked barely twenty-eight or twenty-nine, a mature charm radiating from him.
He was a seasoned actor, Gan Mo, who had never won Best Actor but had several Best Supporting Actor awards to his name.
Fan Qing thought: none of that mattered.
The focus was that Nie Luo, surrounded by two stunning actors, looked incredibly handsome.
The two beside him were top-tier talents in their own right.
Any one of them could shine on their own.
But the brightest star here was still Nie Luo.
Fan Qing’s lips curved involuntarily.
Ah Qing has arrived!
Nie Luo, slightly troubled, brightened immediately upon seeing Fan Qing.
He glanced at Gan Mo.
“Then please help her run through the scene, Gan Lao Shi. I have someone to attend to, I’ll leave first.”
He left gracefully, but Gan Mo and Lu Qia couldn’t help but notice the subtle eagerness in his departure.
“He’s gone,” Gan Mo reminded her.
Lu Qia rolled her eyes.
“I know.”
“And the scene? Are we still running it?”
Nie Luo left and gave her that expression?
Sure enough, this woman got bored easily.
When they first met, she had complimented him for being especially handsome.
Now she was already tired of it?
Gan Mo sighed.
“Run the scene? Do you think I want to rehearse?”
Lu Qia didn’t hide it either.
She and Gan Mo had worked together in the same company for about ten years and were as familiar as their own hands.
“That’s why I dragged you over.”
Gan Mo shrugged.
Lu Qia narrowed her eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Did this guy know something?
“Before you came, didn’t your agent give you a heads-up?”
Gan Mo finally found it strange.
This woman rushed to get close to Nie Luo as soon as she entered the set. He understood her being drawn to appearances, but her agent really hadn’t warned her?
Thinking of this, Lu Qia felt a little guilty.
Gan Mo also squinted.
“You were daydreaming when she was talking about something important again?”
He was right!
Lu Qia, caught, stubbornly defended herself like a dead duck.
“Even if you tell me now, it’s the same, isn’t it?!”
She was just busy and tired from her packed schedule.
She was definitely not doing it on purpose!
Gan Mo looked doubtful.
Still, it was better to remind her of the important things.
He slightly lifted his chin.
“Look over there. Do you know who went to visit Nie Luo on set?”
Lu Qia glanced briefly.
“…I don’t recognize him. Should I?”
“You should.”
Gan Mo almost sighed.
“He’s President Fan of Tenghuang. He’s the investor for this film, and I heard he chose the script himself before deciding to produce it.”
“W-what? Seriously?”
Lu Qia couldn’t hold it in and swore.
“Wait, so… what does that have to do with us? Why would our managers specifically warn us about this?”
She didn’t understand at all.
Gan Mo’s expression grew complicated.
“Seriously speaking, your manager asked mine to tell me to keep an eye on you on set, so you don’t get too close to Nie Luo.”
Lu Qia, beautiful as she was, choked on the words.
Her manager actually did something like that?
Though… she just wanted to be close to a handsome guy—was that really necessary?
Seeing that she still didn’t get it, Gan Mo suddenly understood his manager’s careful intentions.
“President Fan isn’t ordinary. You may not know, but he climbed from being an ordinary assistant to where he is now in just two days. And you know how much money he invested in this movie. Plus…”
He paused, lowering his voice.
“He’s quite famous in the circle. I heard there’s a big shot backing him. If you offend him, that person could come after you directly.”
Lu Qia: ……
“…I still don’t get it. I just wanted to be close to a handsome guy. No matter how powerful President Fan is, what does it have to do with me?”
She truly didn’t understand.
“…You’re dumb as hell.”
Gan Mo couldn’t hold it in and rolled his eyes dramatically.
“Are you stupid? How many times has President Fan come to visit the set since filming started? Don’t you keep track of who he comes to see?”
Lu Qia began to process it carefully.
After a moment, her expression turned shocked.
“…Shit?! So he and Nie Luo are actually—”
“Ancestor!”
Gan Mo slapped his hand over her mouth, stunned at her recklessness.
He’d warned her—this person is not to be offended. Was she really this stupid, or was she looking for trouble?
It was a reflexive move.
Lu Qia didn’t even notice anything wrong.
But others did.
For example, Fan Qing.
His expression stiffened slightly.
The fingers resting on Nie Luo’s arm tensed ever so slightly.
Nie Luo noticed immediately, sensitive as he was.
“Ah Qing, what’s wrong?”
What was wrong?
Fan Qing’s face was unreadable.
Why did he always make time to visit the set?
Wasn’t it just…
…to give the CP fans a treat?
But!
He felt that his path might be long and arduous.
Sure enough.
That day, Fan Qing checked Weibo.
The trending list had nothing to do with him, nor with Nie Luo.
The top trending topic was #GanMoLuQiaCP#
He knew it.
Nie Luo looked at the trending topic, then glanced at the chart Shengdge had already drawn.
…Better post it next time.
Lu Qia and Gan Mo were also stunned to see themselves trending.
Gan Mo slowly covered his face.
He shouldn’t have cared about this idiot!
Lu Qia’s expression was pure shock.
She even double-checked with her manager.
“Me? With Gan Mo? They say we’re a CP? Seriously?”
Before her manager could reply, she continued to panic.
“Why? Why me and him? Not even with Teacher Nie, let alone with Fan Qing!”
Whoever made this CP had no heart!
Her manager, exasperated, burst out:
“You’re imagining things! They’re a real pair! What do you have to do with it?”
After speaking, she immediately regretted it.
She had just gotten the news—why had she blurted it out?
She looked at Lu Qia.
Lu Qia looked back, then slowly revealed a face of utter collapse.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I kept trying to get close to Teacher Nie in front of President Fan recently!”
Damn!
Had President Fan already thought she was some kind of fox spirit in his mind?
Was it too late to apologize?
Lu Qia actually tried to find Fan Qing.
No luck.
She had to take a detour and go to Nie Luo instead.
Nie Luo hesitated.
“Ah Qing might not really want to see you?”
Lu Qia froze.
She didn’t understand.
“Why? I just want to explain to Mr. Fan, I really don’t mean anything else.”
It wasn’t about that.
Nie Luo hesitated for two seconds, then spoke openly.
“Actually, this time you two trended because Ah Qing wanted to. But you stole it, so he’s probably a little angry now.”
Lu Qia slowly typed a question mark.
Wait.
What do you mean, “you two trended because Mr. Fan wanted to”?
Her pupils widened.
She instinctively glared at Nie Luo.
“…You’re still playing the CP hype game???”
No way.
Really?
Was it really what she thought?
…Damn!
She was guilty!
She had committed an unforgivable crime!
She had actually obstructed a real couple from trending and playing CP!
And she did it hand-in-hand with that Gan Mo guy!
Damn!
The thought made Lu Qia feel utterly defeated.
If it were her, she wouldn’t be able to forgive either…
Wait!
Lu Qia took a deep breath.
“Well… if Mr. Fan has this need, I could actually introduce him to, uh…”
She stumbled over her words.
Nie Luo: “?”
“Introduce what?”
Damn it!
Lu Qia could no longer maintain her ladylike image.
Really? Was she about to say such a word in front of the seemingly aloof, pure, untouchable, almost ethereal Nie Luo?
…but if she didn’t say it, it would be even more disrespectful!
Lu Qia clenched her teeth, steeling herself.
“Well… I know a few big creators who make content for CP fans—some draw, some write, some edit videos. I wonder if Mr. Fan needs that?”
Nie Luo stayed silent.
Lu Qia stayed silent.
Her toes curled uncomfortably inside her shoes.
She wanted to disappear on the spot!
Saying something like this in front of Nie Luo felt utterly mortifying.
Then, the next second, she heard the voice of the one she imagined as her perfect, untouchable, icy-goddess-like idol:
“…Actually, if it weren’t for this accident, the illustrations he had drawn would already have been released.”
???
!!!
Nie Luo, shut your mouth—!
Lu Qia almost broke in half.