When Duan Mingxuan left, it was still the end of winter. By the time he finished his work in Beizhou and returned, Dongzhou had already entered the season with the longest daylight hours.
He had been away for quite some time this trip, but he hadn't forgotten to keep an eye on Xia Cheng. He knew that her first film had been a box office smash, and he knew she had gone on to win one Best Actress award after another.
She was like a polished diamond, radiating breathtaking brilliance under the refraction of sunlight.
Watching the young Best Actress shining on the award stage, trophy in hand, amid the cheers and applause of the crowd, he suddenly thought of that innocent, ambitious girl he had met on the cruise ship.
That girl who had declared with such conviction that she would one day become a Best Actress.
Her dream seemed to have already come true.
Even though she had fully realized her dream, Xia Cheng was still as clingy as ever. She didn't send him trivial updates about her daily life to bother him, but every so often she would ask where he was and when he was coming back, as if she needed to constantly confirm his whereabouts.
She was already a Best Actress who could stand on her own, but in front of him, she was still like a clingy little girl.
Duan Mingxuan thought.
To celebrate her Grand Slam of Best Actress titles, he had already prepared a gift for her in advance. But to give her a surprise, he had deliberately told her he'd be back two days later than planned, saying he couldn't make it to her awards ceremony. In reality, the moment he finished his business, he immediately flew back on his private jet.
He had already missed three important occasions before this. This time, for the Golden Flower Best Actress award, he didn't want to miss it again.
But just as he stepped off the plane, an unexpected message popped up on his phone.
Duan Mingxuan looked down at the phone screen, frowning almost imperceptibly.
The person who sent him the message was—
The player couldn't care less about what the NPC was thinking.
After dismissing UR No. 2, she continued with her Career Route.
[August 20XX: You defeated numerous competitors with your portrayal of "Xie Kulan" in "Calming the Storm" and won the Dongzhou Golden Flower Award for "Best Actress." Will you go to receive the award?]
"Yes."
[You have obtained the item: Golden Flower Trophy x1. You may view it in your Gallery.]
[You have unlocked the new title "Golden Flower Best Actress." Your Reputation has increased by 1000 points.]
[You have unlocked the Supreme Achievement "Best Actress Grand Slam." Your legendary acting career has reached a brand new peak. Please claim the "Golden Laurel" Avatar Accessory. When equipped, your Prestige increases by 1000 points.]
"Yay!" The player was thrilled. "First film and I already got both box office and awards success! The main quest progress bar has jumped straight to eighty percent. Just a few more films and I'll be close to finishing this Playthrough perfectly!"
She happily went up to accept the award, recited the acceptance speech she had already delivered three times before, and then happily came off stage with the trophy in hand.
After the Golden Flower Awards ended, there was a banquet arranged by the organizers. The player decided to stay and attend, because banquets were the kind of big occasion that often triggered beautiful Scene CGs—the kind you could keep as background art to admire. Not taking them would be a complete waste.
The gown Xia Cheng wore to accept her award today was the "Deep Blue Dream" Skin, automatically obtained after securing the top luxury brand endorsement. It was a princess dress, very much like the one Cinderella wore after her transformation—layers upon layers of pale blue skirt, encrusted with diamonds on the outside, looking extremely gorgeous. But it was also very tiring to wear. Not long after Xia Cheng finished accepting the award in it, her Stamina Points started dropping rapidly.
Although the princess dress was gorgeous, she decided to switch to the "Pink Feather Swan" Skin for the banquet later. It was lighter to wear, and she could collect some new CGs.
[After winning the "Golden Flower Best Actress," you head to the backstage dressing room to change your gown, preparing to attend the banquet later. Unexpectedly, you run into someone you didn't expect to see here.]
Since she was now a Best Actress and also a well-known rich young lady with top-tier connections in the industry, the dressing room the Golden Flower organizers arranged for her was the one with the best environment and the most privacy. Normally, no one could come in without permission. Xia Cheng just hadn't expected to see UR No. 2 here.
Gu Xingye?
What was he doing here?
Xia Cheng was a bit puzzled. Earlier, seeing how low his Mood Value was and how high his Blackening Value was, she had originally planned to have some fun with him, but she had considerately decided not to toy with him anymore and told him he didn't need to come.
How could an NPC act on its own against the player's wishes?
"Gu Xingye? Didn't you not come to the awards ceremony? Why are you here? This is my dressing room, you know."
Gu Xingye sat on the sofa in the dressing room, his golden bangs falling over his delicate brows and eyes, looking somewhat gloomy. But that gloom was only a fleeting flash, so brief it seemed like the player's imagination.
He stood up, smiling as he looked at her. "Can't I come? We were on-set husband and wife for quite a while, after all. Even if you want to cut ties between us… sending me off with just a text message—isn't that a bit too much?"
He was clearly smiling, yet that handsome, jade-like face looked somewhat disheveled and wounded. Gu Xingye's eyes naturally had slightly drooping puppy-dog corners, and with a hint of hesitant silence added on top, it was enough to bewitch anyone's heart.
But the player didn't understand.
Dude, get it straight—we're just a pair of sleazy hookups! Don't make it sound like a young couple going through a breakup!
However, having unlocked the Grand Slam achievement today, Xia Cheng was in a good mood, so she spoke gently: "I need to change my gown. Could you step out first? We can talk about whatever it is later."
"What if I insist on talking about it now?"
The golden-haired young man leaned slightly forward, gazing at the girl before him, and said softly: "Why are you always so cold to me? Compared to Duan Mingxuan, I'm not lacking in anything, am I?"
"Why him and not me?"
Gu Xingye, a young aristocrat who had been on cloud nine since childhood, had arrogance carved into his bones. He was long accustomed to being adored. Even when he'd been drawn to her before, he'd always deliberately maintained a somewhat cold and haughty demeanor. She'd never seen him show weakness so openly like this, so she couldn't help but find it somewhat novel.
For some reason, she felt like there was a faint scent of tea lingering in the air.
"It's not a matter of choosing or not choosing…"
There wasn't really any choosing involved. The player found it a bit baffling. She didn't actually intend to cut things off with Gu Xingye entirely—mainly, Duan Mingxuan was about to return, and she thought they could keep a low profile for now, maintain a "we're not close" status, and not arouse the sugar daddy's suspicion. Once they'd fooled him, they could go back to being sleazy hookups, right?
But she couldn't say it that bluntly. Being too straightforward might just add to the Blackening Value.
"So what's the real reason?"
His voice was soft, his tone light, but there was an inexplicable air of aggression about it.
Xia Cheng could only fob him off: "Sigh, this… sigh, I don't know how to explain it to you… The waters here run deep… Anyway, people in the industry get it, and those outside don't—it's hard to explain…"
Gu Xingye was amused into a laugh by her feigned ignorance. He let out a scoff: "Fine, call me stupid, played by you. But at least, whatever you do, shouldn't it have a proper ending?"
[On the night of the Golden Flower Awards ceremony, Gu Xingye comes to your backstage dressing room and proposes a final "Battle of Red Cliffs" with you, to put a proper question mark on this inexplicable relationship of yours. Will you accept his request?]
Oh, this.
The player's little face turned yellow.
How did it suddenly jump from interrogation to getting freaky… Doing that kind of thing in a backstage dressing room at an awards ceremony doesn't seem quite right—feels a bit too depraved… But a handsome Character Model delivered right to your door for free—why not take what's offered?
She was hesitant, yet also tempted.
Following the principle of "eat it now or never," after a fierce (not really) internal struggle, Xia Cheng ultimately chose "Accept."
Whenever there's a chance to get freaky, pick getting freaky—that's just the kind of creature a player is!
[On the night of the Golden Flower Awards ceremony, unable to resist Gu Xingye's seduction, you engage in lewd acts with him in the backstage dressing room—sleeves rolled up, clothes undone, nothing you dare not do. Your intimacy with Gu Xingye increases by 10 points.]
[But immersed in your debauchery, you fail to notice danger slowly closing in…]
Danger? What danger?
The player, whose head was full of dirty thoughts, was dazed and confused. Before she could react, she heard a thunderous "BANG"—the dressing room door seemed to have been kicked open. She felt a blur before her eyes, and Gu Xingye's handsome face immediately took a punch.
Xia Cheng was completely stunned.
The golden-haired young man was knocked back several steps by the impact. He didn't seem surprised in the slightest—he simply raised a hand and casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Even after being hit, he still had the mood to smile.
The newcomer wore a black formal suit. He was tall and slender, his expression cold as ice, yet seemingly concealing a deep fury beneath. It was Duan Mingxuan.
The moment UR No. 1 appeared, Xia Cheng felt like the sky was falling and the earth was splitting apart.
Gu Xingye, you little bastard—you really are no good! No wonder you were so proactive all of a sudden! So this was your game all along!
[The ultimate result of getting freaky anywhere and everywhere is getting caught. On Golden Flower Night, Duan Mingxuan, returning from abroad, accidentally stumbles upon the long-hidden affair between you two sleazy hookups. Facing your furious sugar daddy, you plan to—]
[A. Strike first and defend yourself loudly: "I'm not the only canary in the world who's fallen for two sugar daddies, am I?!"]
[B. Weep in repentance and beg for mercy immediately: "I was just momentarily bewitched! Hubby, believe me—he's just a hotel, but you're home!"]
"C, play dead, act like you don't exist, and let the two men fight it out like dogs."