Soon, all the teachers and students invited to the promotional video screening had entered.

Lu Chuan stood at the front of the stage, gave a brief speech, and then bent down to press the mouse. The promotional video appeared on the large screen behind him.

This promotional video told the story of the school’s 80-year history. After sweeping landscape shots, Chen Die’s profile appeared on the screen.

Her features were delicate and could certainly withstand the scrutiny of the big screen.

Lu Chuan stepped down from one side of the stage and sat in the front row next to another invited director. The two conversed in low voices.

Xia Ying stared at their backs for a while, clicked her tongue twice, and leaned toward Chen Die’s ear saying, “You should consider Senior Lu. At least he’s young, promising, and has a bright future.”

Chen Die:?

“And you could slap Chen Shuyuan’s face with that!” Xia Ying slapped her thigh. “Damn! Just thinking about it makes me happy!”

Chen Die laughed, “Do you want me to be tormented by Chen Shuyuan for the rest of my life?”

“Didn’t you two clash as soon as you entered freshman year?” Xia Ying frowned slightly. “Wait, how did you two become enemies so early?”

“We were high school classmates.”

“Talk about a narrow world.” Xia Ying sighed, then shifted her gaze back to Lu Chuan’s back. “But I think the senior is nice—gentlemanly and elegant.”

Chen Die said with amusement, “You’d have to see if he’s interested in me first, right?”

“I think he must be somewhat interested. What man doesn’t love a beautiful woman?” Xia Ying said matter-of-factly. “Besides, yesterday he defended you even though he knew the poster was Chen Shuyuan. Even if it’s not love, there must be some goodwill.”

Chen Die raised an eyebrow, “You like the senior that much?”

“Of course!”

She replied languidly, “Then go for him yourself. I think your chances are better than Chen Shuyuan’s.”

“…”

The promotional video was extremely well-made.

While filming, she hadn’t felt such a profound impact, but seeing it complete on the screen, every frame was perfectly placed.

All of Lu Chuan’s work had a certain magic, conveying passion and power through simple narration.

When the ten-minute promotional video ended, some people in the audience were even wiping away tears.

The principal went on stage to give a speech, and the screening concluded.

Chen Die and Xia Ying walked out of the art gallery, discussing where to have lunch.

“Chen Die.” Lu Chuan called out to her from behind.

Chen Die turned around, “Senior.”

She paused slightly. Next to Lu Chuan stood another man, the director who had been sitting beside him in the screening room. He was in his fifties, positioned at the top of the director pyramid—Feng Zhi.

“Hello, Director Feng.” She nodded in greeting.

Feng Zhi smiled, “You know me?”

“Of course. We study your scripts in our professional courses,” Chen Die said with a smile.

Lu Chuan said, “Director Feng is preparing for a film called ‘Hairpin Flower.’ He’s currently selecting actors. He quite liked your appearance in the video and wanted to ask if you’d be interested in auditioning.”

Chen Die was quite flattered, exchanging a glance with Xia Ying, “I’m interested.”

“This is rather sudden though. The audition is this afternoon,” Feng Zhi said with a smile. “I wonder if you have time.”

Chen Die didn’t hesitate, “I do have time.”

She received Feng Zhi’s business card, and Lu Chuan sent her the basic information about the film via WeChat.

Lu Chuan and Feng Zhi had other matters to discuss, so after exchanging contact information, they left. Chen Die pulled Xia Ying along to get lunch.

Xia Ying stuffed a meatball into her mouth, speaking indistinctly with sparkling eyes, “I think I might become the best friend of a big star!”

“I haven’t even gone to the audition yet. You’re jumping way ahead.”

“As long as you pass the audition, I think there won’t be any problems. Which actress under Feng Zhi’s direction hasn’t become wildly popular?”

Chen Die ate while looking at the script synopsis.

“Hairpin Flower” was a period drama about national loyalty and unyielding righteousness—a very appealing script for actors.

After lunch, they went directly to the audition location where several other actors were already waiting.

Chen Die’s beauty was stunning—her skin extremely fair, compelling people to let their gaze linger on her for a few extra seconds.

She wasn’t entirely new to the industry. After her photoshoot went viral online, she received invitations from numerous variety shows, but she declined them all.

The audition began.

All auditioning actors received the same script excerpt. The director’s requirements were high—they needed to get in water for the scene.

Additionally, since the character in the film was supposed to be a stunning beauty, they needed an actress who could carry the period costume well.

The water requirement was only announced at the end of the audition, and among the auditioning actors, many couldn’t swim or were afraid of water. Their faces immediately turned pale.

Chen Die, however, knew how to swim.

Wen Liang had taught her during the summer after the college entrance exam when they went traveling. She had swallowed a lot of water before finally learning.

Chen Die changed into the costume provided by the production team and followed the instructions to the location.

Xia Ying waited outside. After waiting for quite some time without seeing Chen Die emerge, she went to buy a towel from a shop across the street.

When she returned, Chen Die was already outside, waiting alone. She had changed back into her clothes, but her hair, arms, and neck were still wet.

Xia Ying immediately ran over and wrapped the towel around her.

“Don’t they even provide hair dryers here?” Xia Ying frowned and asked.

“They do,” Chen Die couldn’t help but sneeze. “There were too many people. It’ll dry if I let the wind blow on it anyway.”

“More like you’ll catch a cold if the wind blows on you.” Xia Ying didn’t bother being polite and directly wrapped the towel around her head, leaving only her eyes exposed. “How do you think the audition went?”

Chen Die shrugged, “It was fine.”

“Then there’s no problem.”

Xia Ying understood her well.

In terms of acting, Chen Die truly had intuition and spirit. She was often praised by teachers at school. Every time after the final performance assignments when Xia Ying asked how she did, Chen Die would react just like this.

Yet when the grades came out, they were always near perfect.

Not only was she the campus beauty, but also a legendary academic star.

However, at the film academy, many students started taking on acting roles in their sophomore or junior years. Although some web dramas had extended offers to Chen Die, she had refused them.

Xia Ying suspected it had something to do with her ill-tempered, extremely possessive boyfriend.

After drying her hair with the towel, Chen Die immediately covered her nose and sneezed.

“I told you so! This is what happens when you don’t dry your hair properly before going out in the wind!” Xia Ying scolded.

Knowing she was at fault, Chen Die obediently lowered her head and accepted the scolding.

After saying goodbye to Xia Ying, she went directly back to the villa in the western suburbs.

“Miss is back.” Housekeeper Zhang wiped her hands on her apron and came out smiling. “Have you eaten lunch? Would you like me to make something?”

“I’ve already eaten. You can rest, Housekeeper Zhang.”

Chen Die sniffled, feeling that something was wrong. She seemed to be showing signs of a cold.

With many graduation matters still to handle, Chen Die didn’t want to get sick at this critical time. She immediately went upstairs to take a nap and sweat it out.

Perhaps because she had recalled her first meeting with Wen Liang that morning, she saw him again in her dreams.

It was like he was haunting her.

Chen Die was 16 when she came to Yan City, having just completed her first year of high school in a small town.

Her subsequent school was also arranged by Wen Liang.

At that time, Wen Liang was 22. During his sophomore year, he had been sent to a military camp for two years and still needed to complete his remaining two years of university, though he was rarely seen at school.

Wen Liang sat in front of her, saying seriously, “Education is still important.”

So Chen Die obediently went to the school he had arranged—the best private school in Yan City, full of wealthy children.

But what Wen Liang probably hadn’t anticipated was that the fake Chen family heiress, Chen Shuyuan, also attended that school. Chen Die had met her before and they recognized each other.

Chen Shuyuan naturally wouldn’t mention this, and Chen Die couldn’t be bothered to bring it up.

But Chen Shuyuan still couldn’t resist bullying Chen Die.

She was the small leader of the class at that time, instigating the girls to isolate and distance themselves from Chen Die, dirtying her chair, and throwing her books into the lake.

One afternoon after school, Chen Die returned from the office to the classroom to find her jacket covered in footprints. It was raining outside, and her umbrella had been broken.

She sat alone in the classroom, holding the umbrella and shedding a few tears.

Finally, with no other choice, after crying, she planned to run to the subway station under that dirty school uniform. Unexpectedly, as soon as she went downstairs, she saw Wen Liang walking toward her with an umbrella.

She never thought Wen Liang would come to pick her up from school.

Even though she lived with Wen Liang, she rarely saw him.

The wind and rain suddenly grew stronger outside.

Wen Liang’s gaze fell on her school uniform. He stepped closer, pulled off the uniform, and asked coldly, “Who did this?”

Chen Die remained silent.

“I’m fucking asking you!” He exploded in anger, his whole body emanating ferocity. “Who ruined your clothes!?”

This was the first time Chen Die truly saw him angry, and she was frightened to tears by him. She stammered, “…Chen Shuyuan.”

“What else has she done to you?”

Chen Die didn’t dare hide anything from him and told him everything Chen Shuyuan had done since the beginning of the school year.

Following this, Wen Liang took her back to the classroom and personally gave her a lesson in “an eye for an eye.”

Early the next morning, Wen Liang brought Chen Die to wait at the school gate.

Chen Shuyuan arrived late when the school gate was already nearly empty. Wen Liang blocked her path, holding a stick.

Wen Liang was known as a crazy troublemaker in the upper-class circles at that time, unbridled and uncontrollable. He had a terrifying scar on his brow. Even Chen Shuyuan’s father was somewhat wary of him, let alone her.

Her legs immediately went weak, almost kneeling.

Wen Liang gave a scornful laugh, contemptuously saying, “With such a weak heart, where did you find the courage to bully my girl?”

Chen Die, standing behind him, was taken aback.

—My girl.

The night before, Wen Liang had already made a mess of Chen Shuyuan’s seat, returning exactly what she had done to Chen Die, and after deliberately warning her, he let her enter the school gate.

He tossed the stick into a pile of grass, dusted off his hands put them in his pockets, turned around to look at Chen Die, and said, “In the future, if she bullies you again, tell me.”

He said it casually and carelessly, yet it made Chen Die’s nose suddenly sting.

Seeing that she was about to cry again, Wen Liang frowned impatiently, “What the hell are you crying for? There’s nothing to cry about.”

Chen Die was afraid of making him angry, so she quickly sniffled and held back her tears. Worried that this wasn’t enough, she imitated him by putting her hands in her pockets, raising her chin, and making an arrogant expression with a pained face.

Wen Liang laughed lightly, “Silly.”

Later, Chen Die thought that she had probably become the person she is today because of Wen Liang’s gradual influence.

“I’m going in now,” Chen Die said, holding the strap of her backpack and pointing toward the school gate.

“Mm,” Wen Liang responded, then suddenly called her back again, strangely asking, “What’s your nickname?”

Chen Die was taken aback.

Her former foster parents called her A Ling. The nicknames for girls in their small town were generally not pleasant-sounding, with a rustic quality.

If she told Wen Liang, he would laugh at her. Chen Die removed the “A” prefix, “Ling Ling.”

“Which ‘ling’?” Wen Liang asked.

She paused, correcting herself, “The ‘ling’ in skylark. Ling Ling.”

“That’s quite nice,” Wen Liang raised an eyebrow, nodding toward the school gate. “Go to school then, Ling Ling.”

Chen Die looked at him, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.

She didn’t say goodbye, oddly feeling light-headed. She turned and ran through the school gate.

After running quite a distance, she stopped and looked back at Wen Liang.

He had already left.

Chen Die stopped, slowly raising her hand to press against her chest, her knuckles pressing hard into it, feeling each intense beat, like a blade about to pierce through her bones.

She woke up groggily from her dream.

Chen Die felt like her head was splitting open. This nap hadn’t made her sweat but had made her dream of Wen Liang. The effect would probably be enough to torment her into a fever.

Outside, the sky had already darkened. Chen Die checked the time—it was already nine in the evening.

She had slept for that long.

She sat up, originally intending to take a moment to recover, but suddenly felt nauseous. She ran to the bathroom and threw up everything, nearly vomiting bile.

Chen Die felt extremely dizzy, almost seeing double.

She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and called Wen Liang. It connected after a short while.

“Hello,” Wen Liang’s voice came through.

There was a clamor in the background—either a bar or an evening event.

Chen Die initially wanted to ask him to bring medicine when he returned, but changed her question, “Are you coming to the western suburbs tonight?”

Wen Liang responded indifferently, “We’ll see.”

Chen Die gave a faint “mm,” heard teasing voices on his end, and hung up directly.

Wen Liang tossed the phone back on the table, while those around him made suggestive comments.

“That wouldn’t happen to be your little beauty calling you home, would it, Boss Wen?”

“Hahaha, so even Boss Wen gets these check-in calls. Your life is certainly different from us single folks.”

“Really, why don’t you bring your sweetheart to gatherings like this?”

The crowd around him was very noisy, but Wen Liang barely listened. He carefully considered Chen Die’s voice from the call, picked up his suit jacket, and stood up, “I’m leaving first.”

“Hey—the gathering isn’t over yet!”

Wen Liang left without looking back.

Everyone knew Wen Liang was accustomed to breaking rules and couldn’t be stopped.

“Did something happen at Wen Yuan Group? Why is he leaving in such a hurry?”

“He’s just going home to be with his little wife,” someone said leisurely. “I just saw the contact name for that call on Liang’s phone.”

Everyone’s curiosity was piqued, “What was it?”

“Ling Ling,” he raised an eyebrow suggestively. “A repeated character.”

The group truly hadn’t expected that someone like Wen Liang would have such an intimate, repeated-character nickname as a contact.

They immediately developed a sense of respect for the “darling” in his golden house.

Chen Die went back to sleep after hanging up the phone.

However, having slept so long in the afternoon, she had little drowsiness, yet her head was spinning and throbbing, almost to the point of fainting.

Eventually, she couldn’t tell whether she was asleep or awake.

Until the bedroom door was pulled open, and she vaguely heard Wen Liang’s voice.

Chen Die thought it seems I’m asleep now, but why is Wen Liang haunting me today, insisting on disturbing her peaceful dream?

The next moment, she was grabbed by the shoulders and pulled up from the bed.

Chen Die opened her eyes groggily and, seeing Wen Liang before her, couldn’t distinguish for a moment whether this was a dream or reality.

The bedroom light was off, and moonlight fell on his face, creating an unclear image.

Wen Liang frowned, “You’re sick and you don’t tell me when you call?”

Chen Die’s throat was painful, and she couldn’t speak to retort.

He put the cold medicine he had mixed downstairs to her lips. Chen Die lowered her head and took a sip, immediately grimacing at the bitterness.

Wen Liang looked at her expression and finally smiled, “I specially bought the sugar-free version.”

Chen Die glared at him, finally managing to suppress the bitter taste, and turned her head away petulantly, “I won’t drink anymore. It’s too bitter.”

Her voice was hoarse beyond recognition, even more so than during the phone call. Wen Liang’s brows furrowed slightly, “Drink it and you’ll feel better.”

“How did you know I had a cold?” Chen Die asked.

“Couldn’t I tell from your voice on the phone?” Wen Liang glanced at her. “Your throat is so hoarse, don’t talk anymore. It sounds awful.”

He pushed the cup toward her lips again, “Finish it.”

Chen Die turned her head to refuse.

Wen Liang clicked his tongue, impatient. He tilted his head back, took the medicine into his mouth, and then held the back of Chen Die’s head to transfer the medicine to her.

His body still carried a faint smell of smoke and alcohol, mixed with the pungent medicinal scent that rushed in all at once. Chen Die swallowed the medicine and bent over the bed, coughing uncontrollably.

“You can’t even handle this bit of bitterness. Who raised you to be so delicate?” Wen Liang mocked.

Chen Die finished coughing, her face and neck flushed red. After catching her breath, she was about to curse.

Wen Liang wiped the medicine from the corner of her mouth, and seeing her angry and about to say something, directly covered her mouth and pushed her back onto the pillow, “Shut up. Don’t infect me.”