Chapter 4

Because of Lu Tingzhou's sudden move, the gazes of all the guests seemed to drift toward Ning Luo.

The distance between them narrowed.

As Ning Luo looked up, his gaze unconsciously swept inch by inch over the face before him.

It only took a few seconds, yet the man's features seemed to be stamped into his mind with the clarity of a 3D print.

Only up close did he realize how deep the man's eye sockets were, how dark his pupils were. He stood a head taller than Ning Luo, looking down at him quietly with an innate sense of pressure.

"Who is this?"

Ning Luo was used to grand occasions, yet for some reason, he felt a little nervous now and swallowed.

His eyes uncontrollably fell on Lu Tingzhou's pale, thin lips as they opened and closed. He instinctively replied, "Hello, my name is Ning Luo. Luo, with the horse radical."

[I'd been plowing the fields, but the moment I saw my husband, I got so pumped up that I kicked the ox aside and plowed thirty acres myself.]

[After returning to the village from the fields, I smelled something burning. I searched everywhere and couldn't find a fire. Turns out it was my heart burning for my husband!]

Lu Tingzhou: "...?"

The immensely impactful words made him pause slightly, his gaze suddenly dropping to Ning Luo's mouth.

Ning Luo lowered his head shyly.

[Husband, don't look at me like that. Things are getting a little ambiguous between us.]

He hadn't opened his mouth.

Nor had Lu Tingzhou imagined it.

...Mind reading?

Without showing it, Lu Tingzhou glanced around and found that no one else seemed to have heard those explosive remarks. They were merely looking eagerly at the two of them, as though they had caught the scent of some earth-shattering gossip.

Having formed a guess, he suppressed all his emotions and took a step back to widen the distance. There wasn't the slightest hint of anything unusual on his face. "Lu Tingzhou." He then nodded, looking mildly apologetic. "Sorry, I mistook you for a friend of mine. I hope I didn't cause you any trouble."

Ning Luo waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, not at all."

[How could mistaking someone for another person be your fault? Taking ten thousand steps back, was Pangu opening the heavens and earth without fault?]

Lu Tingzhou: "...That's good, then."

Hearing their conversation, everyone was disappointed.

Fine, so he had only lost his composure because he mistook someone for somebody else. There was no tangled romance of love and hate. Time to disperse.

Ning Luo felt that it was improper to keep staring at someone else's face. A person had to be reserved when out in public, so he used the determination of someone journeying to the West for scriptures to pull his gaze back.

[Ah, I'm just naturally shy. When I see a handsome guy like this, I don't even dare go right up and kiss him.]

[He's handsome, sure, but he's too pitiful. He's surrounded by awful people and destined to be alone.]

Lu Tingzhou's gaze upon Ning Luo darkened slightly as he slowly asked, "You know me?"

"Hm?" Ning Luo took a beat to react. "Of course I know you. Teacher Lu is a benchmark in the industry. Everyone knows you."

That wasn't entirely flattery. Lu Tingzhou's résumé was indeed impressive. Since entering the industry, he had won countless awards of every size and had claimed three Best Actor trophies within four years. It had taken him over a decade to secure his place at the very pinnacle of the entertainment industry, and he was only in his early thirties now.

Even though he had gradually moved behind the scenes, no one could shake his position.

[What a shame that he trusted the wrong person at such a young age. The cultural and creative company someone invested in under his name is about to blow up because of plagiarism.]

Lu Tingzhou fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly. "...Is that so?"

A cultural and creative company?

It seemed someone had mentioned that matter to him before.

[Not only will he lose several million, but they'll twist his words and say he endorsed plagiarism, enraging countless original creators. He'll get covered in mud, and that will be the start of his decline.]

Ning Luo's words made Lu Tingzhou's eyes turn cold.

Rather than this person in front of him knowing some inside information, those words...

It was as if he were predicting Lu Tingzhou's future.

How much credibility did his words have?

Whether they were true or false, he would know after checking.

He couldn't have suddenly gained mind-reading abilities just to hear someone confess their love for him.

Lu Tingzhou pushed up his glasses with the knuckle of his index finger.

It seemed it was time to go home and see his good older brother.

And this person before him...

He raised a brow slightly, studying the young man who was full of secrets from head to toe.

"Ning Luo!"

Lu Tingzhou's thoughts were interrupted by Wang Lin, who hurried over.

"I've been looking for you forever and couldn't find you. Where did you go?" Wang Lin strode over, only noticing Lu Tingzhou was still there once he got close. He quickly greeted him.

"Mr. Lu is here too. Hello, hello."

Lu Tingzhou politely shook his hand. "Hello."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wang Lin said, "Ning Luo and I have something to do, so we'll excuse ourselves first." He pulled Ning Luo away, and only after they had walked some distance did the gaze fixed on Ning Luo's back withdraw.

Oblivious, he lowered his voice and asked, "How did you end up chatting with Best Actor Lu?"

Ning Luo shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

Wang Lin had been too far away to hear Ning Luo's inner thoughts earlier, so he had no idea Ning Luo had practically thrown himself at Lu Tingzhou. After asking a few more questions and finding nothing wrong, he let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness."

Still, he couldn't quite relax. Starting from the premise that Ning Luo had to respect Best Actor Lu no matter what and not think any weird nonsense, he delivered a five-hundred-word oral lecture.

In the end, he concluded, "If you can catch Teacher Lu's eye and build a good relationship with him, it'll be very beneficial to your future career."

Thinking of Lu Tingzhou's fate, which was about as miserable as his own, Ning Luo shook his head. "Better not."

He was unlucky enough already. If he added another unlucky guy and the two of them stacked their debuffs, who could he complain to if they died early?

Wang Lin didn't say more. After all, such things couldn't be forced. "I just saw Director Sun. Come on, let's go say hello. He has a very popular adapted drama casting right now. If you can land it, your resources will rise by at least one level."

Director Sun, Sun Xuebin, was a mild-tempered young director. He was cheerful and a little plump, and he was very close with Wang Lin's senior brother. Hearing Wang Lin repeatedly praise Ning Luo's acting, he didn't want to embarrass him and readily offered a supporting role.

Wang Lin said awkwardly, "Director Sun, I heard the personality of the third male lead in that drama is somewhat like Ning Luo's?"

Director Sun pondered it, then ultimately gave a diplomatic response out of consideration for their relationship. "Go audition, but whether he gets picked, I can't say."

Wang Lin understood what he meant. All he wanted was an audition opportunity. Whether Ning Luo could join the cast depended on his own ability.

After settling the matter, Wang Lin patted Ning Luo's shoulder. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. I believe you can succeed."

God knew that only a few days ago, he had still been cursing Ning Xibai for sending him such a useless nobody. Yet just days later, Ning Luo had shocked him into numbness, transforming his mindset from "Holy shit, this can't be real" to "Damn, how can someone really have heaven chasing after them to feed them success?"

And he learned the moment he was taught, even drawing inferences from one example to another.

His progress was so rapid it was like he had boarded the Thomas Jet Plane.

Ning Luo felt guilty from the praise. "I don't think I'm that amazing. Maybe my comprehension is just a little better."

"...Don't say that when you go out in the future."

"Huh?"

"That kind of humblebrag," Wang Lin said, "makes me want to turn into an octopus and slap you in circles."

Ning Luo: ???

Seeing his incredulous expression, Wang Lin immediately felt a satisfying sense of triumph.

Ning Luo had hit him with so much nonsense before. At last, it was his turn to hit Ning Luo with some.

Awesome!

"Director Wang," Ning Luo hesitated, stopped himself, then hesitated again before carefully saying, "Production work is indeed exhausting, but don't put too much psychological pressure on yourself."

[Look at this, he's gone crazy.]

Wang Lin: "..."

He fell silent for a few seconds, staring at Ning Luo in disbelief before gritting out, "Could I possibly be crazier than you?"

Ning Luo blinked innocently. "What are you talking about, Director Wang?"

"...You win."

He had forgotten. Some people only went crazy in their heads. On the surface, they still looked perfectly normal.

After the banquet ended, Ning Luo returned to the production hotel's room. After washing up, he lay on the bed playing with his phone, typed "Lu Tingzhou" into the search bar, and opened Weibo.

Lu Tingzhou's Weibo had virtually no personal updates. It was all work reposts, let alone the selfies and ab photos that were popular these days.

"He's guarding his chastity too fiercely. It makes me very uncomfortable." Ning Luo clutched his chest and shook his head resentfully. He registered a new alt account with his phone number, then sent messages to Lu Tingzhou's DMs, his studio's DMs, and their email, telling him to watch the investments of people around him lately.

But since the entire novel followed Ning Xibai's perspective, the information Ning Luo could obtain was limited. He could only give vague hints.

As for whether Lu Tingzhou could avoid it, Ning Luo clasped his hands together and prayed sincerely. "That depends on whether your fate is tough enough, husband."

They were both going to be killed off by the plot anyway. How was that not a kind of lovers' suicide?

In a sense, Ning Luo was someone with a very broad heart. If he couldn't decide what to do, dying was the worst that could happen. It was only the difference between dying once and dying twice. Nothing could bring him down, because he didn't have what it took to be a target.

After sending the messages, he reopened Weibo and browsed into the supertopic.

Half an hour later, he had collected countless beautiful pictures. He had even joined a fan group with his alt account and chatted enthusiastically with everyone. He was exceptionally skilled at the entire process.

He had no scenes the next morning, so Ning Luo stayed up until two in the morning before going to sleep.

When he woke up at noon, he discovered that his manager, Xu Ling, had sent him messages.

Xu Ling was good at her job, well-connected, and ruthless in her methods. But she had more than one artist under her, so she was extremely busy. Ning Luo rarely saw her, and his impression of her was that she was a highly capable woman.

[Sun Xuebin contacted me and invited you to audition. When did you get to know him?]

[Are you sleeping?]

[Reply when you see this.]

Ning Luo called her directly and explained everything from beginning to end.

Hearing that Wang Lin had introduced the opportunity, Xu Ling was surprised. "Has he lost his mind? He suddenly introduced resources to you?"

Ning Luo said, "Possibly."

"..."

Xu Ling hadn't wanted Ning Luo to film Wang Lin's drama from the very beginning, believing he was asking to be humiliated. The two had even argued over it and parted on bad terms.

But now, it seemed Ning Luo and Wang Lin were actually getting along quite well.

"Since you have this opportunity, make the most of it. Oh, right, the new assistant I found for you has arrived. I'll handle other matters first. He'll be at your door soon."

Before hanging up, Xu Ling was still uneasy. "Get along well with him. If you keep losing your temper, you really won't be able to find an assistant anymore... Though you probably wouldn't dare."

Ning Luo didn't think too deeply about what she meant. Not long after hanging up, there was a knock at his door.

He opened it and the first thing he saw was a pair of bulging pectoral muscles that nearly burst through the shirt.

Tilting his neck upward, he found an honest, smiling face. "Hello, Brother Luo. I'm your new assistant, Xiao Song."

Looking at the six-foot-three broad-shouldered Northeastern man standing in the doorway, the kind who could punch him to death with one swing, Ning Luo silently swallowed.

You were calling me Brother?

That didn't seem appropriate, buddy.

"...Hello to you too," Ning Luo said dryly, not daring to object. "Xiao Song."

Xiao Song looked like a rough, carefree guy, but he was actually extremely attentive. He packed everything Ning Luo needed and drove him to the set.

A few days ago, the male lead had taken leave due to a family matter. He returned today to continue filming, and Ning Luo hadn't met him yet, so he planned to greet him later.

But the moment he stepped onto the set, he noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere. Everyone hurried back and forth with panicked expressions.

Wang Lin's furious voice rang throughout the entire set. "You gave me this garbage with a budget of several hundred thousand? Are you fucking fooling a ghost?"

"Where's the rest of the money, huh?!"

It was the first time Ning Luo had seen Wang Lin lose his temper.

The braid tied at the back of his head swayed with his exaggerated movements. His air of a bohemian artist was gone, and he looked like a fire-breathing dragon.

"What happened?" Ning Luo silently moved beside Sun Shaoyi and asked in a low voice.

Sun Shaoyi said, "There was a problem with the set. A wooden frame broke and hit Shen Wenyu."

Shen Wenyu was the male lead.

Ning Luo was surprised. "Why would a perfectly good wooden frame break?"

"The lumber was worm-eaten."

Ning Luo understood. A middleman had skimmed the difference and pocketed the money.

The already underfunded production was now even worse off. No wonder everyone looked as though their parents had died.

The thought of finding another backer revived from the ashes, but Ning Luo ruthlessly smothered it with his conscience.

No, no. Director Wang had just introduced him to such a good opportunity. He couldn't be a petty person.

Seeing Wang Lin was in the middle of his rage, Ning Luo didn't dare approach him. He asked Sun Shaoyi about the male lead's injury and learned that the doctor was treating him, so he decided to visit him.

Wang Lin's expression had never looked worse, dark as ink. "Is this how your production crew fools me? Fu Gangqun, is this your first time working with me? Do you want to get the hell out early?"

Fu Gangqun was an old hand on the production and one of Wang Lin's core team. Having been scolded publicly and humiliated, his neck reddened. Knowing the matter couldn't be easily brushed aside, he reached out and shoved the person beside him, who had kept his head lowered. The other man staggered forward. "Director Wang, calm down. This is my fault. I failed to manage my people properly, which let one of them pull this trick and deceive me too!"

He shouted sternly, "Speak! How did you falsify the accounts, pass off inferior goods as quality materials, and swallow the money?"

That person cringed. "D-Director Wang, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I was just possessed by greed for a moment..."

"I knew you were no good!" Fu Gangqun spat viciously at him, then said to Wang Lin, "Cousin, I knew something was off about this guy. I never expected him to injure Teacher Shen! Don't worry, I'll deal with him properly and give everyone an explanation."

Wang Lin's brow furrowed deeply enough to crush a fly. "You really did this?"

"Yes, yes..." The man cautiously glanced at Fu Gangqun. Frightened by the cold look in his eyes, he quickly agreed.

Since he had admitted it himself, the matter was considered explained.

But Wang Lin said nothing.

Ning Luo stopped in the middle of walking past and looked uncertainly at the plump middle-aged man who had called Wang Lin cousin.

Besides him, there really was another person in this production with connections.

[Is this the connected guy who leaked to the media that Director Wang was sexually exploiting the male lead, that the two of them read glowing scripts together and played pretty hard?]

Ning Luo's shocked tone twisted through eighteen turns like a roller coaster as his gaze darted between Wang Lin and the middle-aged man.

[Holy shit, family melodrama plus an entertainment-industry sugar daddy's forced love? Exciting!]

The male lead, Shen Wenyu, had just come out from the back after getting his wound bandaged. He stumbled and nearly fell on flat ground.

Fuck, who was spreading rumors?!