An Juexiao watched Gu Zhanran’s departing figure, suddenly feeling as if everything had been a dream.
Only after he was completely out of sight did she step back into the room.
Inside, Gu Keqing and Xu Junyu were eating with complete abandon.
There was none of the earlier dramatic flair she had shown when she first entered Gu Zhanran’s room.
“Xiaoxiao, come quick, this steak is so tender.” Gu Keqing waved her over.
The moment An Juexiao sat down, Gu Keqing squeezed in beside her and asked with a grin, “When did you get close to a big shot from the Gu family? Spill the truth.”
“The Gu family?” An Juexiao glanced at Xu Junyu as she asked.
Most of what Gu Keqing knew but she did not usually came from him.
Xu Junyu explained, “The Gu family rose to prominence through the tech industry. They are a powerful new force with substantial assets. Besides that, they have investments in real estate, film and television, and education.”
Gu Keqing chimed in, “Xiao Yu said that even those things our country sends into space use their technological resources.”
An Juexiao finally understood. Gu Zhanran was definitely no ordinary person to rely on.
“Actually, getting connected to their family is not my doing. It is the good karma my mom built up for me.” An Juexiao briefly explained how her mother had once saved Gu Zhanran and then refused any monetary reward.
After hearing this, Gu Keqing was stunned. “Even novels would not dare write something like this. If I did, readers would definitely complain, saying the author is talking nonsense.”
An Juexiao burst out laughing. “Sometimes life is even more dramatic than fiction.”
“Exactly, it just shows that art really comes from life.” Gu Keqing stroked her chin thoughtfully, then continued asking for more details.
But no matter how hard An Juexiao tried to recall, she could not remember much else. After all, so many years had passed, and she had been very young back then.
Xu Junyu said, “The Gu family’s promise is worth more than those tens of millions.”
An Juexiao paused. “Yes, I did not expect that after all this time, they would still remember it.”
“But how did he find me?” she muttered softly.
Gu Keqing was more carefree about it. “If they really wanted to find someone, how could they fail?”
While they were talking, An Juexiao’s steak was served.
Gu Keqing, sharp-eyed as ever, immediately noticed something missing. “Why does yours not have onion rings? They are delicious when fried and dipped in black pepper sauce.” She raised her hand to call the waiter.
An Juexiao stopped her. “It is fine, I do not like onions anyway.”
When she was young, she had often helped her mother in the kitchen and had cried plenty of times from cutting onions. Ever since, she had disliked that pungent vegetable.
After finishing their meal, the three of them left No. 8 Corner Alley. The two girls immediately dived into the shops again, while Xu Junyu resigned himself to being a human bag carrier.
They shopped until the afternoon, then the young couple went off together, leaving An Juexiao, the single one, to head home alone.
She had barely stepped through the door when she received a call from Director Zhang’s assistant, informing her about the audition.
Clutching her phone nervously, she suppressed the flutter of excitement in her chest and confirmed the time for the initial interview, which would be followed by the official audition.
After hanging up, she let out a long breath. She had not expected Gu Zhanran to act so quickly. They had only just spoken in the morning, and by the afternoon she had already received an invitation.
Looking around her room, she saw it was a complete mess. She had rushed out earlier and had not had time to tidy up. But now her mood was entirely different. Humming a tune, she happily started cleaning.
Amid the clutter, she found a diamond ring strung on a chain. It was the token the Gu family had given her mother back then.
Holding the ring in her hands, she recalled how much she had loved shiny things as a child and had been reluctant to put it down. As she grew older, she stopped playing with it and kept it properly stored in its box.
Now, this necklace ring was her lucky charm, so she had to take even better care of it.
With that thought, she found the box for the ring again. She could not help but think how particular the Gu family was, even providing a box for the ring. When she weighed it in her hand, it felt solid and heavy.
She placed the ring back inside and set it in front of a photo of her and her mother, then clasped her hands together and gave a small bow.
“Mom, see, doing good deeds really does bring rewards.”
“Please bless me so that my audition goes smoothly. When I act in films and become a star, you will be a star in the sky, and I will be a star on earth. Then I can be closer to you.”
Looking at her mother’s photo, An Juexiao casually began to sing a song her mother used to hum when she was little. “Little stars lighting up my path ahead…”
As she sang, she waved her cleaning cloth and continued tidying up, moving from classic songs of the 1980s to popular hits of recent years.
Meanwhile, in an office elsewhere, the diamond ring on Gu Zhanran’s desk suddenly began to sing.
The ring floated above its base, and perhaps due to the vibration of the sound, it started bobbing slightly up and down.
Gu Zhanran, who had been signing documents, jerked his hand, and the final stroke of his signature went flying off the page.
He looked up at the diamond ring, which had been silent for many years. “…”
The old butler, who had followed him for many years, raised his eyebrows in surprise. “This thing has actually come to life again.”
Gu Zhanran let out a light sigh. “After all these years, her singing has not improved at all.”
“Good thing she is an actress and not a singer. Otherwise, even ten of me would not be able to promote her or cover for her.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the singing stopped. It was not that An Juexiao had stopped, but that the old butler had switched it off.
Smiling, the butler said, “Since the young master does not enjoy it, I will turn it off for some peace and quiet.”
Gu Zhanran fell silent for a moment, then decisively turned it back on and said in a low voice, “It is not that unbearable.”
A trace of teasing appeared in the butler’s kindly gaze.
Gu Zhanran stared at the diamond ring, lost in thought.
When he was young, he had once passed by his parents’ study and heard the diamond ring singing. At the time, he thought it was some new product in the house.
Later, he realized the ring could not only sing, but also cry and speak, as if a little intelligent spirit lived inside it.
Children are often lonely, simple, and easily bored. Gu Zhanran sincerely treated the “little spirit” inside the ring as a new friend. Even though it never responded and only spoke to itself, he was still satisfied.
After all, it was a new product, perhaps the interactive system was not fully developed yet.
After some time, he learned that the “little spirit” was not a new piece of technology at all, but an actual person.
Because of that, his parents teased him for quite a while.
Later on, the ring fell silent. Occasionally, it would make a sound once every few years, but it was always just indistinct noise. He guessed the ring had been stored away by An Juexiao in its “charger,” meaning a jewelry box.
Until last night, the ring suddenly came alive like Pandora’s box being opened, and pitiful sobbing came through from the other side…
Sometimes, when luck is bad, even drinking water can make you choke. But once fortune turns, it feels like you can find money just by stepping outside.
The more unlucky An Juexiao had been before, the luckier she was now.
The television drama that had kicked her out just yesterday contacted her again, asking her to return to filming. This time, however, it was for a different role. The actress originally cast for that role had bailed on the production, and they could not find a suitable replacement in time, so they thought of An Juexiao.
“If they only contact you because they cannot find anyone else, could this be some kind of trap?” Gu Keqing asked suspiciously.
“Who cares if it is a trap, as long as it pays.” An Juexiao winked playfully. “You know, this role actually has more screen time than Xin Yan’s.”
“I cannot wait to see her expression,” An Juexiao added mischievously. “She went through so much effort to push me out of the crew, and now I am back with an even bigger role.”
“Hahaha.” Gu Keqing laughed, wiggling her eyebrows. “You really are a devil.”
Lifting her suitcase, An Juexiao raised her chin. “The role I am playing this time is a witch.”
Before leaving, she thought for a moment, then took out her phone and sent Gu Zhanran a message, telling him she had joined the production.
Then she quietly changed his contact name from “Gu Ten Million” to “Gu Lucky Star.”
While eating, Gu Zhanran glanced at the new message on his phone, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.
“My god, what kind of expression is that?” Huo Mingze, sitting across from him, exclaimed dramatically.
Gu Zhanran calmly put down his phone and looked at him. “A smile.”
“…” Huo Mingze was momentarily speechless at the serious reply, then cleverly changed the subject.
“By the way, did you not used to only invest money and ignore everything else? Why the sudden change, recommending actors to a production this time?”
“As one of the investors, I naturally do not want to see a project suffer delays and financial losses because of an unprofessional actor who bails at the last minute.”
“Oh?” Huo Mingze clearly did not believe him and joked, “I thought you had a change of heart and wanted to pursue a young actress.”
“I am not like you,” Gu Zhanran replied lightly.
“???” Huo Mingze choked. “Hey, Gu Zhanran, explain yourself. What do you mean not like me? That is a personal attack.”
Gu Zhanran lifted his dark eyes and looked at him, calmly delivering words sharp enough to infuriate.
“Playboy, sounds nicer than it is. You stir up romantic trouble everywhere and often need me to cover for you. You have made more promises to women than there are stars in the sky,” he said. “Am I wrong?”
“…” Huo Mingze retorted, “I am clearly charming and suave, skilled at sweet talk to make girls happy, and openly pursuing true love.”
“Your true love changes faster than your cars.”
“Gu Zhanran, if you keep roasting me like this, I will announce to my girlfriend tomorrow that you are my true love.”
“…” Gu Zhanran knew Huo Mingze would actually do it. If that happened, both his company and home would likely be overrun by Huo Mingze’s army of girlfriends. “The day you meet someone who can keep you in line, you are finished.”
“Haha, impossible.” Huo Mingze declared confidently, setting up a grand flag.
“Actually, I came to see you this time to discuss something serious.”
Huo Mingze’s eyes rolled as he immediately guessed his intention. “You are not planning to recommend someone to my company, are you?”
The two of them had grown up together, their understanding of each other beyond words.
Yaohui Entertainment was a leading force in the entertainment industry. Although Gu Zhanran had his own influence, every industry had its own barriers. For An Juexiao to develop better, she needed the support of a professional company and team.
“Yes. Without a team to guide you from the start, it is a huge disadvantage in this industry.”
“No problem, no problem. Since Young Master Gu has spoken, of course it is no problem.”
“Then that is settled.” Gu Zhanran finally felt at ease.
Huo Mingze asked, “When will she come?”
“I still need to ask for her opinion.”
“???” Huo Mingze almost choked. “Do you know how many artists are dying to get into my Yaohui?”
“Of course I do.” Gu Zhanran looked at him oddly. After all these years, how could he not know Yaohui’s background?
“Then why hesitate?”
“Everyone thinks differently. She might have her own plans. I respect her choice.”
With that single sentence, Young Master Gu left Young Master Huo so irritated that he picked up his plate and moved to another table to eat.
Author’s note: Young Master Huo was so annoyed by the male lead that he lost his appetite, haha.