Jiang Yanzhou’s spectacular performance was mercilessly penalized with a yellow card by the production team.
He sat in the corner sulking, complaining, “What kind of taste is that…”
Jiang Zhiwu wiped away the tears of laughter and walked over slowly.
Hearing the movement, Jiang Yanzhou turned his head sharply, his face still retaining a fierce expression. “They just don’t understand art!”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Jiang Zhiwu leaned against the doorframe nodding. “But I’m waiting for breakfast, so how about I help you?”
Jiang Yanzhou’s heart skipped a beat. Instinctively, he shrank back slightly. “What are you planning to do?”
“Teach you how to act shy,” Jiang Zhiwu said calmly as she walked up to him and poked his arm with her fingertip. “Like when you were eight years old and insisted on wearing your Ultraman underwear outside your pants because you thought it looked cool.”
Jiang Yanzhou curled his fingers, forcing himself to stay calm. “I was just a kid back then.”
Jiang Zhiwu continued, “If you weren’t sensible at eight, you should have been smarter by ten, right?”
“That year you thought cotton candy was made of real cotton, so you poked a hole in the leather sofa. It was bad enough that you tried to lick it yourself, but you even wanted to share it with me…”
“AHHH!!” Jiang Yanzhou quickly shouted to cut her off, his ears turning so red they looked like they were bleeding. “That was ages ago! Can you please stop bringing it up?!”
“I’m just helping you get into character,” Jiang Zhiwu reached out and pinched his cheek.
Jiang Yanzhou realized that although his sister usually looked like a serious and unsmiling business elite, she was actually quite mischievous!
When he returned to the dining area, the tips of his ears were still pink.
This time, he didn’t do the fancy wall slam pose. He just stood in front of the camera, nervously twisting the hem of his clothes. When he looked up, his eyelashes fluttered, and he recited the lines provided by the crew: “I… I’ve liked you for a long time.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he lowered his head abruptly, the redness spreading from his ears like spilled paint.
Time seemed to slow down. The morning light fell on the tips of his hair, making even his awkward shyness look gentle and soft.
The comment section was flooded with exclamations:
[In just one minute, how did the top star’s acting skills suddenly evolve so much?]
[As someone who’s been watching both of their livestreams, I have to say: Sister Jiang deserves all the credit.]
[Hahaha Jiang Yanzhou, I can’t believe you actually wore your underwear outside!]
[As expected, there’s no one like your own sister.]
[??? What are you guys talking about? I’m so confused.]
[Go watch their livestream right now, it’s absolutely hilarious.]
Within just one hour of going live, the viewership for Jiang Zhiwu and Jiang Yanzhou’s stream had already far surpassed everyone else’s, taking the undisputed first place.
Unaware of this, Jiang Yanzhou was still feeling nervous. “Can I pass now?”
“Passed,” the director waved his hand without hesitation.
Wen Jing, who had been sitting quietly all this time, suddenly looked up and commented seriously, “Your performance has great spirit.”
Jiang Yanzhou was slightly surprised to hear this.
After all, this gold-medal producer was known for her sharp eye. Countless actors in the industry would do anything to hear a single word of praise from her. He never expected a non-professional like himself to receive such recognition.
“Thank you, Ms. Wen,” he thanked politely, instinctively glancing towards Jiang Zhiwu.
Jiang Zhiwu mouthed silently at him: Not bad.
Jiang Yanzhou couldn’t suppress the smile spreading across his face any longer; it shot up like a spring. As he walked back to his seat, even his footsteps seemed light and joyful.
Huang Zhihe sat in her seat, unconsciously picking at her clothes with her fingertips, her heart feeling tangled and messy.
She was the one who was professionally trained as an actress, yet after appearing on screen for so many days, Wen Jing had always treated her indifferently, never paying her any special attention.
On the other hand, the Jiang siblings not only received special favor from Wen Jing but also dominated in terms of popularity and topics on the show.
Her gaze involuntarily landed on Jiang Zhiwu again.
At that moment, Jiang Zhiwu was looking down at her phone, looking very focused. Huang Zhihe, already feeling competitive, became curious about what she was looking at. She quietly shifted her body closer, secretly trying to catch a glimpse.
Jiang Zhiwu was indeed busy with work matters. She opened her private messages on Weibo and found that the scammer claiming to be a “famous director” had messaged her again.
The message was written very earnestly, full of urgency. They repeatedly expressed their desire to use her paintings as references for character designs in a new drama. They said they had contacted many artists but were unsatisfied, claiming that only her style truly captured the soul of the characters.
Seeing how persistent they were, Jiang Zhiwu thought it might be worth looking into, so she replied agreeing to add them on WeChat for further discussion.
It seemed the person had been waiting for her reply, as they exchanged contact information immediately.
As soon as the friend request was accepted, a long string of messages popped up, along with screenshots of script excerpts.
[Miss Jiang, I apologize for using the vague term ‘famous director’ before. I am the executive director of *Locked City in Mist*, my surname is Zhang.]
[The main characters of our drama have very unique settings. The female lead is an architect who returned from studying abroad during the Republic of China era. The temperament in your paintings—’fragility hiding sharpness’—is a perfect match for her!]
Jiang Zhiwu swiped her finger across the screen, looking at the character name “Bai Ruoyu” and the details noted beside it, such as “Prefers cheongsams in light colors”. Her eyebrows lifted slightly in interest.
The person then sent a voice message. The sound of keyboard typing could be faintly heard in the background: “I know this might seem sudden since we’ve never met. But I accidentally saw your painting *Clock Tower in the Rain* on Weibo. The silhouette of the heroine holding an umbrella under the corridor… that is exactly how I imagined Bai Ruoyu to look!”
He spoke very fast, unable to hide his excitement: “The props team has been searching for three months, but they just couldn’t create a cheongsam pattern that satisfies the director. The patterns on the clothing in your painting… could you… could you share some inspiration? We are willing to pay copyright fees, or we would simply like to hire you as the styling consultant for the entire film!”
Staring at the words “Styling Consultant for the Entire Film”, Jiang Zhiwu replied: [I’ll read the script first. The pattern design needs to be refined based on the character’s personality and relationships.]
Director Zhang replied almost instantly: [Thank you so much! I’ll send you the character biographies for all the main roles right away! Oh, and the costume fitting will be in a few months. If you have time, would you like to come visit the set? The props warehouse has hundreds of vintage embroidery pieces, they might give you more inspiration!]
Looking at the continuous stream of messages, Jiang Zhiwu felt growing interest in this design project.
Huang Zhihe had caught a glimpse of the chat interface on her screen. Although it was just for a second, she clearly recognized the familiar WeChat avatar.
Wasn’t this Director Zhang Ping, the one working on the new drama she had been trying so hard to get a role in?
Huang Zhihe’s heart skipped a beat in shock.
So it was true! Jiang Zhiwu definitely wanted to enter the entertainment industry!
How could an outsider like her quietly secure such good resources? This made Huang Zhihe, who had struggled in the industry for years, feel extremely bitter and resentful. Her gaze towards Jiang Zhiwu became filled with vigilance and complex emotions.
She calmly took out her phone, pretending to browse Moments, but actually opened the livestream platform.
What she saw made her feel as if the sky was falling.
Even though Jiang Yanzhou had a bad temper and many haters, the popularity of his and Jiang Zhiwu’s livestream was astronomical. It had even successfully improved Jiang Yanzhou’s usually poor public image.
In contrast, she was being criticized by many viewers for being too dramatic and trying too hard.
How did things turn out like this?
Huang Zhihe took a deep breath and put her phone away. When she looked up, she happened to see the camera lens.
She quickly forced a natural smile, picked up her teacup and took a sip, hiding the turbulent emotions in her eyes.
Breakfast ended soon after, and the production team announced that the morning mission was to explore the town freely and complete a few small games related to local culture.
As soon as they got off the bus, the lively atmosphere of the market surrounded them. On both sides of the stone-paved road were stalls filled with all kinds of goods. An artist was drawing vivid dragons and phoenixes with molten sugar. The sounds of hawking, laughter, and the aroma of food mixed together.
Li Lele, who was running ahead, suddenly let out an excited scream.
“AHHH! It’s Ji Ningshen!”
Everyone followed the direction of her finger. On a huge billboard at the street corner, Ji Ningshen was wearing a well-tailored black suit. His features were deep and sharp, and he wore a perfect smile. It was an advertisement for his new luxury brand endorsement.
Li Lele clasped her hands together, staring at the poster with excitement. “Ji Ningshen is just perfect! He’s the most handsome among the talented actors, and the most talented among the handsome ones! He’s so skilled but incredibly low-key. Almost no scandals, only focuses on his work…”
She rambled on about his achievements, her eyes shining with admiration.
Jiang Zhiwu looked at the poster and commented objectively, “He is indeed very handsome, and has a unique aura.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard a soft snort beside her.
She turned her head and met Jiang Yanzhou’s tense profile.
Jiang Zhiwu found it quite amusing.
Of course she knew why he was unhappy.
Although Ji Ningshen and Jiang Yanzhou had different career paths and weren’t direct rivals, they were both recognized as having “god-like appearances” and were both top stars. The media and fans were constantly comparing them.
Especially during polls for “Most Handsome Face in Showbiz”, their names were always mentioned together. The competition, overt or covert, had never stopped. It was like they were two kings who tried to avoid crossing paths.
At that moment, Li Lele was still saying enthusiastically, “I heard his next role is a military officer during the Republic of China era. Just seeing the leaked photos already makes me so excited…”
Jiang Yanzhou’s face darkened even further. He slowed down his steps, falling to the very back of the group.
Jiang Zhiwu deliberately stopped to wait for him, her tone soft as if she were coaxing a child. “Hmm… actually, our Jiang Yanzhou is very handsome too.”
Jiang Yanzhou: “I’m not that easy to cheer up!”
Jiang Zhiwu raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over a nearby sugar painting stall.
She walked over quickly, bought a candied hawthorn stick coated in a shiny layer of sugar, and held it out in front of Jiang Yanzhou, shaking it slightly. “Then what about this? Do you want to eat it?”
The bright red hawthorns were wrapped in an amber-colored sugar shell, glistening attractively in the sun. The sweet and sour scent wafted into their noses.
Jiang Yanzhou still had a straight face, but his tone softened. He mumbled out one word:
“…Eat.”
The comments section exploded with laughter:
[Hahahahaha his tough act crumbled in one second!]
[You said you weren’t easy to please, but he got fixed up with just one candied hawthorn!]