Vivid and Fragrant

The door to Screening Room 3 closed behind Jiang Qian.

The pitch-black room suddenly lit up with the colorful glow of a nightlife scene. Electronic music thundered through the air as stylishly dressed young men and women swayed to the music or raised their glasses in celebration.

Others watched him with predatory eyes.

This was no nostalgic screening room, but an upscale nightclub.

[About to enter the viewing segment]

[The film Vivid and Fragrant follows a fully open-ended progression. Trial participants, please act freely.]

"Act freely?"

Jiang Qian immediately wore an expression that said, Just as expected of you.

Though such an open-ended prompt was hardly a good sign, Jiang Qian still stepped forward without changing expression.

His classmates had dragged him to nightclubs before, so he understood the basics.

Before he had taken more than two steps, he felt someone touching his ass.

Jiang Qian calmly turned around and saw a young woman in revealing clothes and heavy makeup, her eyes brimming with suggestive, flirtatious signals.

"Don't be like that, handsome. Relax!" The girl was clearly an old hand at this. She directly took Jiang Qian's hand and pulled him toward the dance floor.

Jiang Qian did not refuse.

With an open-ended progression, all he had to do was go with the flow while staying alert and observing.

At the center of the dance floor, a girl in a red qipao danced alone. Her makeup and bearing made her seem like a wealthy young lady from the Republican era.

Her features were pure, her smile sweet, as though she were a carefree sprite. Her light, lively dance made people want to draw close.

Jiang Qian identified her almost immediately: Li Tian'er, one of the entertainment industry's rising young stars!

He did not believe someone from reality could have been pulled in.

The only explanation was that the instance was pulling some tricks!

It was during that brief lapse in focus that someone behind him gave him a shove. Forced to take a step forward, Jiang Qian unexpectedly met Li Tian'er's dance...

The instant the girl collided with his chest, cheers erupted around him, and Jiang Qian instantly became the center of attention.

Li Tian'er, however, remained poised and composed. In a setting like this, she gestured to the DJ, and the music immediately shifted to a rhythm everyone could handle.

Once everyone had immersed themselves in dancing again, Li Tian'er linked her arm through Jiang Qian's and joined the crowd.

The girl's hand was soft and delicate.

Jiang Qian chose to go with the flow again, dancing face-to-face with Li Tian'er.

As he enjoyed the envious and jealous stares of the others, he watched the delight written all over Li Tian'er's face and took in every flirtatious glance she gave him.

He thought he knew who "she" was now.

Dancing intimately with a beautiful woman was quite nice, after all.

A seductive rose fragrance filled the air around Jiang Qian. The scent made him feel relaxed and happy, as though all his worries had been cast aside!

Still, he did not linger over it.

When the song ended, he used an excuse to leave the dance floor, intending to explore the bar area.

"Want to dance one more song?" Li Tian'er held his hand, reluctance clear in her eyes.

Jiang Qian smiled, making his stance perfectly clear.

Li Tian'er did not insist. "All right~"

"See you next time!"

After leaving the dance floor, the clamor faded from his ears.

Jiang Qian soon spotted a familiar figure.

Sister, Yu Xuan!

Jiang Qian gave an "oh." Li Tian'er and Yu Xuan had worked together before, so it seemed this round of the plot extended from the siblings' relationship.

"Sis." Jiang Qian called out as he sat down beside Yu Xuan.

Yu Xuan turned at his voice. The moment she saw her younger brother, her smile bloomed. "You're here?"

That expression truly made Jiang Qian's heart stir.

It was too similar!

He really wanted to give a thumbs-up to the "performer" beneath that shell.

Her mannerisms, bearing, speech, and temperament were practically identical to how his sister usually acted when she was pleasantly tipsy after a drink.

"You came at just the right time! Go help your sister fetch the script from the room. It's on the cabinet by the door. Bring it to the café downstairs before eight." Smiling, Yu Xuan slipped the hotel keycard into Jiang Qian's pocket.

So the plot is starting already? Jiang Qian thought.

But he agreed aloud, "Sure. Separate payment for running errands?"

"You won't be shortchanged, you little complainer!" Yu Xuan feigned annoyance and shot Jiang Qian a smiling glare.

Then she rose with her clutch in hand, her gold, fitted floor-length gown swaying gracefully as she headed outside.

"At least name a price..." Jiang Qian watched his sister leave.

Yu Xuan smelled naturally of wutong blossoms, a faint, elegant scent that stood apart from the many floral fragrances without following the crowd.

After all, she herself was already striking enough. She truly had no need for extra adornment to enhance her presence.

At last, it was quiet around him.

Jiang Qian looked around, his gaze landing on the directory by the entrance.

Only then did he realize that this nightclub was inside a luxurious five-star hotel. One floor below was a café where people could discuss business in peace.

Another floor down were the guest rooms where his sister was staying. A single elevator ride would get him there; it was very convenient.

Yu Xuan's task for Jiang Qian was to retrieve the script from the hotel room and deliver it to the café before eight that evening.

Jiang Qian checked the time. There was still an hour until eight.

There was plenty of time. Why did she not get it herself?

The thought had barely surfaced before he snuffed it out himself. Since when did I become so stupid? Why am I trying to reason with a rich woman?

"Hey, handsome, all alone?"

Just as Jiang Qian was about to rise and continue exploring the "map," a voice seductive to the bone stopped him.

Then a feverish hand curled around his wrist.

"I've had my eye on you for a long time. Stay and have a drink. My treat."

Jiang Qian had no choice but to turn around and face Liu Xiao, the queen of love songs who dominated the entertainment industry.

Her makeup was gorgeous, and she wore a sexy leather outfit, a short skirt, and fishnet stockings. Her figure was unbelievably hot. Most of all, there was the murky, ravenous desire in her eyes, like a predator salivating over its prey. Looking at it made one shudder.

At the same time, an intensely aggressive musk scent threaded into his breath.

This woman was something else...

"Thanks, but I have something to do. Next time."

"I see... That's all right. We'll meet again later." Liu Xiao winked meaningfully and slipped a finger into her mouth.

Jiang Qian turned and headed out.

It was not that he did not know how to play along. He had simply anticipated the "price."

Right now, Jiang Qian felt that every woman trying to get close to him was bad news, including Yu Xuan.

This was an instance world. These stars who were wildly popular in reality were nothing more than beautiful shells.

As for what those shells contained... that was impossible to say.

Seeing that it was still early, Jiang Qian first visited the restroom, then grabbed some food from the restaurant buffet. Only after thoroughly enjoying himself and taking a rest did he take the elevator back to the guest rooms to retrieve Yu Xuan's script.

After all, one wrong move could mean he would not survive this stage, so he especially cherished the present.

After the elevator chimed, Jiang Qian walked out while pulling the keycard from his pocket...

"Hm?"

What he pulled out were two keycards stacked together, with similar room numbers.

Room 8001, Room 8003.

"No way, they're pulling this trick?" Jiang Qian recalled someone touching him from behind when he had first entered. Could it have been slipped into his pocket then?

Later, his sister had put her card in there, and the two had ended up stacked together.

The question was, which card belonged to Yu Xuan?

Jiang Qian replayed his encounters with Li Tian'er and Liu Xiao in his mind. Both women had coveted his looks, whether through flirtatious glances or suggestive words.

He held both keycards to his nose and sniffed them.

An intensely aggressive musk scent.

He understood.

But he still could not tell which card belonged to Yu Xuan.

The musk was too strong. It had already overwhelmed the scent originally carried by Yu Xuan's keycard.

What should he do?

He still had to retrieve the script, and it was nearly eight.

"Though there's a risk of throwing myself into someone's arms, the script is supposedly on the cabinet right inside the door. I'll just sneak a look from the entrance. It's not like I'll lose my virtue, right?"

Thinking muddled thoughts like that, Jiang Qian staggered toward Room 8003 nearby...

To be safe, he first curled his fingers and knocked on the door.

No response.

So he took out a keycard and swiped it.

A crisp confirmation tone sounded from the lock, and the door opened.

Jiang Qian leaned half his body inside and looked around, trying to find the "script" Yu Xuan had placed on the cabinet by the door...

Well, if he did not see the script, he would retreat immediately and check the next room.

But suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around his waist from behind.

Thanks to Yaoyuan de Xingyun Honey and Qingtianzhu Daole Jiushi Zhoushan for the recommendation votes!