"The performance itself wasn’t bad, but I feel like… something’s missing. Hmm, a sense of
conflict
maybe?"
The director reviewed the footage, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.
"Conflict?"
"Yeah. Your song has a strong
rise after suppression
structure. The chorus release is great, but the buildup before it—still not quite there."
Bai Yi hesitated, glancing at Yan Huan before admitting,
"I actually had some conflict elements in my original script, but… due to certain
real-life considerations
, we removed them…"
She was referring to the parts that subtly hinted at her strained relationship with her mother—scenes Yan Huan had advised her to cut.
The director cast her a thoughtful look before sighing,
"The problem isn’t just about specific elements. It’s about me not crafting enough
tension
between the characters… Let me think about how to adjust it."
He rubbed his chin, deep in thought, but his expression soon turned annoyed.
His gaze drifted past Yan Huan and Bai Yi to the crowd gathered behind them.
"F***ing hell. These corporate
big shots
—when are they gonna leave? It’s so damn noisy… They’re never doing real work, just running around making a mess for the rest of us."
Massaging his temples, he stood up.
"You two take a break. I’m gonna figure this out."
Grumbling, the director walked off, leaving Yan Huan to exhale deeply.
For some reason, he had actually started
accepting
Ye Shiyu’s presence here.
At least…
Spencer
wasn’t around, right?
That was his only consolation.
"Yan Huan, I’m gonna get a quick touch-up. Want to come?"
Bai Yi held up a compact mirror, checking her appearance.
Her makeup hadn’t worn off much, but her hair and outfit had gotten a little messy from all the movement.
"I’ll pass. My face should still be fine. Besides, the male lead doesn’t even get proper close-ups—I barely need makeup."
Bai Yi playfully wagged a finger at him.
"Says who? Aunt Ye
just
said handsome guys boost work efficiency. You’re practically a team morale booster."
Yan Huan chuckled.
"You met Aunt Ye just now and already treating her words like law?"
"I conveniently
omitted
the ‘handsome and beautiful’ part. That means I’m the one saying it now."
She winked, standing up.
"Alright, I’ll be back soon."
"Okay."
Watching her leave, Yan Huan pulled out his phone and casually started scrolling through videos.
Not long after, Meow-chan suddenly appeared on his shoulder, whispering,
"Yan Huan, Ye Shiyu’s here. What now, meow?"
"What do you mean ‘what now’? Aunt Ye’s here—she won’t let anything happen."
"Don’t get too optimistic, meow. This
is
Golden Lion territory. If Ye Shiyu can be here… what if Spencer shows up too? She
does
know you’re filming."
"......"
Yan Huan’s expression
froze
.
He immediately glanced around, scanning for any trace of Spencer.
Not seeing her, he exhaled in relief and was just about to reassure himself when—
"Oi!"
"......"
Yan Huan stiffened.
No way.
Slowly,
dreadfully
, he turned his head toward the sound.
Just outside the filming set, crouching
suspiciously
behind a metal equipment rack, was a figure in a gray hoodie.
A hint of wavy, golden hair peeked out.
A single strikingly blue eye peered his way.
If
that
wasn’t Spencer—who the hell else could it be?
"…Meow-chan, you cursed-mouth bastard!!"
"
Meow?!
"
Yan Huan
instantly
turned back around, pretending he saw
nothing
.
"Oi, Yan Huan!"
"......"
Nope. Didn’t see. Didn’t hear.
"Thump!"
Something soft
bonked
the back of his head.
Frowning, he reached back, picked up the object, and stared at it.
A small
chibi-style
golden bomb pig plushie lay in his hands.
His face darkened.
Why the hell does she carry these things around?!
With an exasperated sigh, he tossed the plushie back toward her.
Spencer caught it easily, but when she looked back up—Yan Huan had already turned away, completely ignoring her.
Her cheeks puffed out in frustration.
Glancing around cautiously at the nearby executives and staff, she hunched over and
stealthily
crept toward him.
Yan Huan observed her sneaky movements out of the corner of his eye.
Something felt
off
.
For someone as bold and reckless as Spencer, why was she suddenly acting so…
timid
?
"Yan Huan! Why are you ignoring me?!"
She finally reached him, hissing her complaint before even stepping fully inside the set.
Yan Huan gave her a deadpan look.
"Why
should
I acknowledge you?"
"
Hah?! You—
"
Spencer flared up immediately, but just as quickly, her voice
halted
.
Clenching her fists, her face turned slightly red, and she averted her eyes.
"Even though… Even though I
stole
your most precious thing… I didn’t
know
at the time! So it’s not
completely
my fault, right?"
"......"
Yan Huan stared at her blankly.
What the hell is she talking about?
"Are you a dumbass?" he finally said.
"Hah?!"
Her voice
spiked
, but she
immediately
clapped a hand over her mouth—
Like she was actually
scared
of being heard.
Yan Huan smirked.
"This is
your
family’s building. Why are you sneaking around like a thief?"
"None of your business—"
Yan Huan observed her again.
Her voice had dropped back down, her posture slightly hunched, her gaze shifting uncertainly.
After a moment’s pause, he suddenly opened his mouth and called out—
"Hey! Someone—"
"Shhh!!"
Spencer
panicked
, lunging forward to cover his mouth.
Yan Huan swiftly dodged, catching her wrist instead.
"You leaving, or should I actually call security?"
"You—!"
Spencer
gritted her teeth
.
Then, as if a wicked idea struck her, she smirked devilishly.
"Fine, Yan Huan. You think you’re clever? Don’t forget—I
still
have four chances left."
"Not interested. I’m busy."
"Oh? Trying to
weasel out
of it?"
Yan Huan, still gripping her wrist, watched as her confident glare began to flicker.
Then—
Her cheeks
flushed red
, and she hesitated before mumbling,
"…I-I’ll… kiss you…"
"......"
Yan Huan
froze
.
His gaze flickered to her lips—
Soft. Slightly parted. Her tongue barely visible.
Involuntarily, he felt saliva gather in his mouth.
Several seconds passed before he forced himself to snap out of it.
Pushing her hand away in irritation, he scowled.
"Are you
seriously
insane? Did you finish your homework? Did your club win the competition? Do you have
nothing
better to do? I’m telling you, I don’t have time for this today."
"It’s just an MV shoot!"
"Will you
leave
?!"
"Hah?! This is
my house
, okay?!"
"Then go tell your family I called security on you."
Their argument escalated.
Neither of them noticed—
Outside the set, the
director
had returned, leaning against the wall with interest.
He had originally gone to confront President William but never got that far—he had been turned away before even seeing Milos.
On his way back, he had overheard a new
female voice
arguing with Yan Huan.
Curious, he peeked inside—
And
froze
.
The arrogant girl, standing with her hands on her hips, flustered and fuming at the deadpan young man—
He had only seen her once before.
But that one time, he had watched the
usually stone-faced William
treat her with nothing but
gentleness
.
That wasn’t just any girl.
That was the
heiress
of the Black Gold Family.
And she was…
flirting
?
The director narrowed his eyes.
Interesting…
Was this kid planning to…
eat soft rice
(
live off a rich woman
)?
“I
see
now! You’re just saying the opposite of what you mean!”
“??”
Yan Huan rubbed his temples, barely holding back a laugh from sheer exasperation.
"Wait, don’t tell me Thursday’s kiss actually
drained
the few IQ points you had left?"
Kiss…?
Ariya Spencer…?
Outside, the director bit down on all his fingers at once.
He couldn’t take it anymore.
This guy—was he
for real
?!
She was the
eldest daughter of the Black Gold Family
!
That mouth was probably
worth its weight in gold
!
And yet… he was making it sound like
he
was the one who suffered?!
Is this the highest form of “eating soft rice”?!
(
Living off a rich woman while acting like the one in charge?
)
“……”
Eyes red with disbelief (
or maybe jealousy
), the director continued spying.
Then, in his peripheral vision—
A different girl, dressed in black with long, straight hair, silently approached the set.
This one, he had seen before too…
Wasn’t she the girl who had arrived with Ye International’s CEO?
Ye Lan’s daughter?
Ye Shiyu hadn’t caught the earlier conversation, but she
had
seen their heated argument.
“Yan Huan, you bastard! I finally worked up the courage to talk to you about this, and you’re just gonna keep pretending otherwise?! Don’t regret it later!”
“Thank the heavens, I
already
regret it.”
Yan Huan’s face was full of disdain, and when Spencer noticed his absolute lack of interest, she scowled.
Ye Shiyu, standing outside, fell into deep thought.
She remembered the time Spencer had caused a scene during the Student Council’s recruitment meeting.
Later, she had heard that Spencer had joined some kind of study group.
A
troublemaker
—arrogant, spoiled, yet somehow protected by the school.
No doubt, as Student Council President, Xiao Huan must find her to be a huge pain…
Her mother had told her—
help Xiao Huan solve his problems.
If
this
wasn’t a problem, what was?
A faint, eerie purple glow flickered across her phone screen.
Now then… what to do?
“……”
Meanwhile, the director was still lurking, observing Ye Shiyu with intrigue.
But the moment her abyss-like eyes
snapped
to him, he flinched.
Sh
t!*
The sheer intensity of her gaze sent a chill down his spine, forcing him to look away.
Ye Shiyu didn’t say a word.
She merely stared at the Golden Lion Group emblem on his chest, taking note of the identification badge pinned beside it.
Then, slowly, an idea took root in her mind…
Her gaze turned even
less
human.
Inside the director’s tent, Spencer was rapidly losing patience.
At first, she
had
felt guilty for stealing Yan Huan’s "precious first kiss."
But his constant deflections, his
denials
, his refusal to
just admit it
Was she not ruthless enough?
A mere
kiss on the lips
wasn’t enough to shatter his pride?
Then… what if she took things a step further?
Her face reddened at the thought.
Her gaze lingered on Yan Huan’s lips.
She had an
overwhelming
urge to seize that stubborn tongue of his and
thoroughly
put him in his place.
"Tap… tap…"
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from outside.
“Sh*t! Someone’s coming!”
Spencer’s expression
froze
—her fight-or-flight instinct kicking in.
Just as she turned to
flee
Yan Huan’s hand
clamped
around her wrist.
"You were fine with staying a second ago—why run now?"
Though he had no idea why
she
, of all people, would be scared of
her own family’s staff
, her reaction was
way too genuine
to be an act.
"You—you
let go
!"
"What if I don’t?"
"Then… then I’ll… I’ll…!"
Spencer’s mind raced.
She suddenly recalled what the AI had told her the other night.
Clenching her teeth—
She
yanked
herself forward, squeezed her eyes shut, and
kissed him
.
Except—
In her panic, she
miscalculated
the angle.
Instead of his lips—
"Smooch~"
She kissed the
corner of his mouth
.
A soft, feather-light peck.
Yan Huan
froze
.
The moment of hesitation was all she needed.
Spencer immediately yanked her wrist free and backed away.
Seeing his
wide-eyed
reaction, her lips curled into a
smug
smirk.
She playfully pulled down her lower eyelid and taunted,
"
See? And you say you weren’t lying, dummy!
"
“……”
"You’d better brace yourself—I
will
make you understand today!"
Before he could even
react
, she spun around and
bolted
.
Yan Huan, still reeling, touched the
slightly damp
corner of his mouth.
Then, as the approaching footsteps entered the tent, he glanced up.
“Director, you’re back?”
The director entered with an unreadable expression, his gaze unnervingly straight.
"A girl named ‘Ye Shiyu’ is looking for you. She wants you to go over."
“Shiyu-jie?”
Yan Huan’s stomach
twisted
.
He peeked outside.
His first question was—
Is Aunt Ye here?
If Aunt Ye was
present
, he’d go.
If not… he wasn’t about to walk into a
hypnosis death trap
.
“……”
No sign of her.
Abort mission.
"Director, I’ll head over to check. Be back soon."
“……”
The director remained eerily silent.
Yan Huan
squinted
.
Something felt
off
.
From his shoulder, Meow-chan whispered,
"Meow… Yan Huan, Ye Shiyu—"
"I
know
, Meow-chan. Stay calm. Let’s see what she wants."
"Meow~"
Feigning ignorance, Yan Huan glanced around one last time before heading toward the designated meeting point.
The moment he left—
From the shadows, Ye Shiyu emerged.
Her face was
expressionless
.
She turned, her gaze fixed in the direction Spencer had run.
“……”
Clenching her phone tightly, she stepped forward—
Heading after her target.
"Hmph~"
Beyond the Golden Lion Entertainment set, a hallway linked to storage rooms and unused offices.
This area, near an emergency exit, was rarely used.
Spencer, having successfully fled, plopped onto the floor, pulled out her phone, and resumed playing
Angry Little Pigs
.
But—
Her aim was
off
.
Shot after shot, the pigs missed their targets.
Clearly, her
mind was elsewhere
.
"Tch."
With an annoyed sigh, she locked her screen.
The dim glow reflected off her
still-flushed
face.
Her heart was racing
again
, her entire face
burning
.
“……”
It had been just a
tactical escape
So
why
did she feel so… unsatisfied?
She
liked
the sensation of kissing.
It was…
addicting
.
"Ugh, so annoying… It’s not like I actually enjoyed it or anything…"
Spencer, much like Yan Huan, had a habit of talking to herself when alone.
Pouting, she reopened her game, attempting to clear her thoughts.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
Then—
A set of footsteps echoed through the
empty hallway
.
Spencer stiffened, glancing toward the corridor.
No one?
"Shhhhhh…"
A faint gust of wind brushed past, though she couldn’t tell
where
it was coming from.
The temperature around her suddenly
dropped
.
Her earlier warmth was swiftly replaced by an unsettling
chill
.
"Zzzzzzz…"
The hallway lights
flickered
.
"
H-huh? W-what the hell?
"
A childhood memory flashed through her mind—
The time she accidentally clicked on a horror movie on her mother’s tablet.
She had been
so
scared she couldn’t sleep alone for a
week
.
No… No way…
There’s no such thing as ghosts… Right?
"Come out—come out now! Or else I’ll—"
"Zzzzzzz…"
The lights
went out completely
.
Electronic screens along the walls
glitched
, filling with static.
"G-GHOST?!?!"
Spencer’s legs nearly
gave out
.
From the darkness, a
tall figure
emerged—
A dim purple
vortex
glowing ominously in her hands.
As the flickering lights briefly illuminated the corridor—
Ye Shiyu’s
expressionless
face appeared.
"Y-you’re… Yan Huan’s sister…?"