Counting back, this was Shang Lu’s first time visiting Tan Le’s home—a place that belonged solely to him.
Upon entering the living room, a massive television screen immediately caught the eye, flanked by several gaming consoles. One entire wall was dedicated to Tan Le’s collection of figurines, while the opposite wall was lined with bookshelves, crammed full of comic books.
Shang Lu was utterly amazed. “No wonder you were kicked out. The old Tan family mansion really wouldn’t have been enough for you to wreak havoc in.”
The Yan and Tan families were neighbors and had been close friends for generations. Tan Le had grown up alongside Yan Ranran, so logically, the two should have been closer.
However, Tan Le was a hardcore otaku with no interest in real-life beauties, reserving his passion solely for two-dimensional anime girls. As a result, the original host, who loved watching anime, actually got along better with Tan Le.
Tan Le’s hobbies were not understood by his family, and as the youngest grandson of the Tan family, they couldn’t do much about it. So, a year ago, Tan Le moved to the capital, where comic conventions were frequent—perfect for him.
At that moment, Tan Le was still sitting on the sofa, clutching a controller, not even turning his head. “The kitchen is on the left. There are drinks in the fridge; help yourself.”
On the TV screen, he was maneuvering his character, locked in a fierce battle with the boss. But soon, the word “DEAD” flashed across the screen.
“Damn it, how did I die again?” Tan Le’s frustrated voice carried all the way into the kitchen. Shang Lu opened the fridge, finding nothing but cola and orange juice. After a moment’s thought, she chose the orange juice.
Returning to the living room, Tan Le had already stopped playing. Shang Lu casually sat down beside him. “What, died again?”
By now, Tan Le was numb to it. “It’s too hard. I’ve been stuck on this for half a year. I need to switch to another game to ease my mood.”
Despite being a hardcore otaku, Tan Le wasn’t overweight; in fact, he was quite slim. With his baby face, he had a deceptive appearance.
Standing next to Shang Lu, he looked more like a younger brother, though in reality, Tan Le was a year older than her.
“Lele, have you thought about what I mentioned earlier?”
Tan Le turned to her. “Even though my photography skills are pretty good, they were all honed at comic conventions. Asking me to shoot TV dramas or movies—are you crazy, or am I?”
Indeed, despite his slender frame, whenever Tan Le attended comic conventions, he went fully equipped, with stamina rivaling that of women on shopping sprees. He could spend an entire day at a convention without tiring.
Shang Lu had accompanied him to a convention once and never dared to go again.
But Tan Le had no interest in so-called TV dramas. Frankly, aside from watching a few shows on TV as a child, he hadn’t watched any dramas or movies in a long time.
He was also puzzled. “Why would you come to me? I remember the Yan and Lu families are on good terms, and the Lu family has a film company. Finding a photographer shouldn’t be difficult for you, right?”
Shang Lu shrugged. “Actually, I was kicked out of the Yan family last month. I have no one and no money now, so I can only turn to you for help.”
As she spoke, she grabbed Tan Le’s shoulders, putting on a pitiful expression. “Lele, please help me. Once I find another photographer, I promise I won’t bother you anymore!”
Shang Lu knew that Tan Le was someone who responded better to softness than toughness. Though sharp-tongued, he couldn’t resist when a friend pleaded with him.
Sure enough, seeing Shang Lu like this, Tan Le’s expression became quite unnatural. “Alright, I’ll help you then. But I have to make it clear—once you find a suitable photographer, I’m leaving immediately.”
Having achieved her goal, Shang Lu naturally knew how to coax him. “Of course, of course. We’ve known each other for so long—have I ever lied to you?” Her phoenix eyes widened with effort, trying to appear innocent.
“Hmph, I doubt you’d dare lie to me. But since you’ve been kicked out, how are you going to manage?” Tan Le frowned. In the past, Shang Lu had been a big spender. Now that she was cast out, wouldn’t she be in a pitiful state?
Thinking of this, he grew a little angry and jabbed her forehead hard. “Such a big thing, and you didn’t even tell me. Do you still consider me a friend?”
Although the two of them didn’t keep in touch much, the fact that Shang Lu had been kicked out by the Yan family and hadn’t sought his help made Tan Le feel somewhat neglected.
Seeing him start to bring up old grievances, Shang Lu quickly put on an ingratiating smile. “Ah, Old Man Yan gave me some money. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell you because I’ve been busy lately—changing majors, filming—I was just too swamped and forgot for a moment.”
Shang Lu was indeed busy, but the part about forgetting was a complete lie. In truth, if possible, she didn’t want to have too much involvement with the original owner’s social circle.
After all, some of the people around her had ill intentions, and she wanted to take this chance to cut ties. As for not telling Tan Le, it was because of his special status—she didn’t want to get tangled up with the Yan family again. She just hadn’t expected that she’d still need his help.
But after seeing Tan Le’s reaction today, Shang Lu genuinely started to regard him as a friend.
Tan Le glared at Shang Lu. “I know you have a bad memory, so I’ll remember this for you. But I am a bit curious—how much did Old Man Yan give you?”
“300,000,” Shang Lu replied, scratching her nose, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“What? That little? Is Old Man Yan crazy? No, the whole Yan family must be insane. You’re their biological child—how could they give you so little?”
Tan Le nearly jumped up. He couldn’t believe how heartless the Yan family was, nor could he understand why they were so harsh to their own daughter.
But Shang Lu didn’t care. “Old Man Yan probably wanted me to admit my mistakes and bow my head. But it doesn’t matter—I never considered them family anyway. I’ll find a chance to get back at them someday.”
Shang Lu herself disliked the Yan family but didn’t harbor hatred. After all, she was just someone who had crossed over. Yet, thinking of the grievances the original owner had suffered, and since Shang Lu now occupied her body, she felt she should do something for her, as a way of repaying the favor.
However, her current abilities were limited—at most, she could only annoy them a little.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. Besides asking for your help with filming, there’s one more thing I need to ask of you.”
Shang Lu felt slightly embarrassed, but she really had no other choice.
Tan Le picked up a nearby cola and took a sip. “I knew you coming all this way couldn’t be that simple. Go on, what else? I might as well see this through to the end.”
“I want you to help me get in touch with Yu Jialin.” Shang Lu had met this person a few times but wasn’t very familiar with him. To be precise, apart from Tan Le, Yu Jialin wasn’t close to anyone else.
But Shang Lu had read the novel and knew that Yu Jialin possessed strong business acumen. His family ran a film and television company—the well-known Huayi Pictures in the industry—and he would later help the female lead.
Given that, it was better for her to strike first and win him over.
However, Tan Le’s expression turned strange. “Don’t you know that Yu Jialin likes Yan Ranran?”
Of course Shang Lu knew. But since she intended to seek Yu Jialin’s help, she surely had a trump card.
And it was a trump card that would completely crush Yan Ranran, leaving her with no chance of recovery.