Zhong Mohan, You Dog of a Man!

Less than a day after landing, Zhong Mohan boarded a return flight under his assistant's astonished gaze.

Meanwhile, Wen Chengze was still filming the show.

Since it was a short drama, this script employed the suspense genre's technique of leaving the ending open.

Faced with a seemingly loyal butler, a timid and cowardly manservant, a cheerful and sunny gardener, and a rival Household whose thoughts he could not read, the young master gradually bared his fangs.

Everyone believed the young master's parents were dead and that he was a sheep guarding a treasure. Yet no one expected him to be a Tyrannosaurus rex. With a few casual words, he won over the manor's servants and intimidated everyone with his iron-fisted methods.

At the end of the drama, the young master stood by the window, half his body shrouded in shadow. As everyone in the manor feared him, the corner of his lips curved faintly upward. Then the camera slowly shifted to a document on the table—a paternity test. The final result read: No biological relationship.

The entire drama ended there.

The open ending implied that the young master was the murderer. He had not become strong to protect himself; darkness had always been part of him.

The short drama moved quickly, lasting less than fifteen minutes from beginning to end. But since Phoenix Dynasty had overseen its production, its overall quality was undoubtedly the highest of all the entries.

Moreover, because the general manager frequently came by to inspect them, the four boys had all given it their utmost. As for Wen Chengze, he was a kid personally praised by the teacher. Once the drama ended, the judges were the first to be stunned.

After a brief tidying-up, Wen Chengze and the other four returned to the stage.

At that moment, Wen Chengze was entirely different from the young master he had played earlier.

The young master in the drama was frightening, giving people the sense that they should not approach him. But Wen Chengze now had coldness written in his eyes, with barely any emotion on his face. His excellent posture and slender figure perfectly embodied the words "noble and refined." The previous young master made people afraid to draw near; the current one made them feel that approaching him would be a desecration.

Whatever others were thinking, Wen Chengze was merely sizing up the mentors opposite him.

Other than Zhong Mohan, he had never interacted with anyone from the entertainment industry. This was his first time facing people from that circle directly.

Still, Wen Chengze could clearly see the difference between celebrities and artists.

There was an obvious gap in temperament between the three younger people seated in the back row and the five people in the front.

After observing them for a few seconds, Wen Chengze withdrew his gaze.

But he had already piqued the judges' curiosity.

Acting was, in some ways, a mysterious thing. Whether someone had talent could often be seen from a single scene.

Wen Chengze's performance was enough to show that he was an actor with spiritual presence—a naturally gifted contestant.

"Your drama doesn't seem to have been written by yourselves?"

An elder who had not spoken since filming began finally opened his mouth.

Wen Chengze glanced at him. Kong Feimiao, a film academy graduate, had acted in only three films in his lifetime, yet every one had won awards—international ones, at that. He had also performed in no fewer than a hundred stage plays. He was an exceptionally accomplished theater actor and, without question, the most authoritative person among the judges.

Wen Chengze was not the spokesperson for their group. That role belonged to Song Ai, a sweet-looking boy who had played the manservant in the short drama.

"We didn't write it ourselves. It was a script prepared by the company." His voice was just like his appearance—obedient at first listen.

That answer surprised everyone.

Most people participating in the show had yet to debut. Even if some were valued by their companies, no company would specially provide such an outstanding script for a newcomer's debut performance. Not even the other Phoenix Dynasty Entertainment contestants had received such treatment. So what was so special about these people?

Then everyone's gaze fell on Wen Chengze, whose expression did not change in the slightest.

If anyone in the group was truly special, it was only Wen Chengze. Among this batch of trainees, he was considered the most outstanding.

With flawless looks and exceptional acting talent, if he was not special, then who was?

Though he had barely spoken since taking the stage, Wen Chengze still drew everyone's attention.

The looks the judges and other contestants cast at Wen Chengze carried a slightly different meaning.

Wen Chengze accepted them all without the slightest sign of panic.

"Your group's completion level is very high. I would say you are the best group we've seen so far. Excellent." Kong Feimiao's long string of remarks was entirely praise.

With praise coming from a figure of such stature, the others naturally followed with nothing but compliments.

Zhong Sirui especially praised Wen Chengze.

Wen Chengze's expression remained indifferent throughout. Seeing this, Kong Feimiao could not help but nod again. Unmoved by favor or humiliation—he truly was a promising young talent.

However, amid all the praise, an odd voice appeared. In the middle of the back row of judges sat a beautiful girl.

Dressed in a white dress, with large round eyes and an innocent appearance, she was Qiao Siyu, the pure and sweet starlet who had recently exploded in popularity. Holding a microphone, she asked curiously, "Actually, I have a question. This short drama was a collaboration between five people, but the other four seemed to become nothing more than Wen Chengze's supporting leaves. Wen Chengze, have you considered your teammates?"

That question was exceptionally sharp.

As soon as the topic came up, Elder Kong in the front row frowned, and the several boys onstage frowned as well.

Being personally chosen by the boss for such an excellent script was already a blessing for them. Besides, building a good relationship with someone who had connections—even if that person might not necessarily help them—was still a fortunate opportunity. Qiao Siyu's words were clearly meant to sow discord. What was she trying to do?

Qiao Siyu had intended to make the other four hostile toward Wen Chengze, but when she saw the faintly resentful looks they gave her, she found it strange. What were those looks supposed to mean?

Before Song Ai could refute her, Elder Kong in the front row spoke instead. "Little Qiao, did you not watch the drama properly just now? In that drama, every person's role was indispensable and required repeated consideration. Every character triggered conflict and intensified contradictions. They portrayed them brilliantly."

Elder Kong rarely spoke, so this sudden lengthy speech was practically a resounding slap in Qiao Siyu's face.

Qiao Siyu's face instantly turned pale.

Wen Chengze, who had remained silent until then, had no intention of letting Qiao Siyu off either. He had been worrying about where to make an impression, and now someone had delivered herself right to his gun barrel. Of course he would not let her go.

"I also have a question for Senior Qiao. You debuted in a girl group, but during your debut showcase, none of your other group members had solo dances. Even their lyric portions were cut down. Did that mean they were also just your supporting leaves?"

The moment Wen Chengze said that, Qiao Siyu's face darkened.

That incident had always been a stain on her reputation. But she had become popular recently, and someone behind her was promoting her, so the old scandals had been thoroughly suppressed. For him to bring it up openly now was a blatant provocation.

"You!" If not for the seniors present, Qiao Siyu would have wanted to slam the table.

Yet Wen Chengze's expression remained unchanged.

The other four boys looked at Wen Chengze with admiration in their eyes.

He dared to snap back directly even in a setting like this. Did their big brother have to be this tough?!

Zhong Sirui looked at Wen Chengze, then at Qiao Siyu seated beside her. Without drawing attention to it, she shifted a little farther away, her disgust obvious.

Although there had been this little interruption, the production crew showed no intention of calling a stop.

What a joke. Wen Chengze was someone the young boss had personally instructed them countless times to take good care of. Would they dare touch him? Absolutely not.

Though the atmosphere had stiffened for a moment, with Elder Kong backing them up, Wen Chengze's group still received the highest evaluation of the entire event.

"Brother Wen, will you really be okay after snapping at Sister Qiao like that? I heard there's someone behind her."

"Afraid I'll drag you down with me?"

"No. We're worried about you. We all know that getting to perform this drama was thanks to you. We understand."

Wen Chengze raised an eyebrow, looked at the innocent expressions in their eyes, and sighed. "You won't get far in the entertainment industry if you're this naive."

Song Ai's eyes widened. "Huh? Brother, what do you mean by that?"

Wen Chengze was helpless. This one was the most innocent of them all. "Nothing. Go back and cook for me."

"Okay!" At the mention of food, the four of them became excited again.

Wen Chengze thought about his own age, then about theirs. There was only a two-year difference between them, so why did they seem so much younger and more energetic?

Since there were so many participants, the production crew did not force every contestant to remain at the venue. Wen Chengze and the others returned to the villa early to remove their makeup.

Lu Wen left after Wen Chengze's performance ended. He had originally planned to call his friend, only to find that the other person's phone was switched off.

He found it strange and felt faintly worried.

But when Zhong Mohan woke him in the middle of the night by knocking on his door, there was nothing left in his heart but rage.

He had been dreaming of beauties, only for his friend to drag him out of his warm bed, inspect his phone, and delete all of Wen Chengze's videos and photos without a word. Anyone would be furious!

"What the hell are you doing?!" If he could have beaten Zhong Mohan, Lu Wen would have thrown his pillow right at his face.

Zhong Mohan ignored him and tossed the phone back. "You're not allowed to go to the production set again anytime soon."

Lu Wen checked his phone and found that not a single photo remained. He glared furiously at Zhong Mohan. "Who was the one who said he would definitely choose his career over love? Zhong Mohan, you dog of a man, what are you doing now?!"

Zhong Mohan raised an eyebrow. "Since you sent me those photos, wouldn't it be letting down your good intentions if I didn't come back?"

"Dog of a man!" Lu Wen rolled the blanket into a ball and cursed Zhong Mohan resentfully.

Zhong Mohan carefully saved Wen Chengze's photos and even locked them behind a password, as though he were safeguarding some priceless treasure.

Seeing Zhong Mohan's foolish expression, Lu Wen's eyes shifted. "Do you know Wen Chengze was bullied today?"