Chapter 3

The lecherous Taoist’s bathroom was incredibly spacious and luxurious. It even had a natural hot spring bubbling with small bubbles, releasing waves of herbal-scented steam.

Wu Qingluan sat by the hot spring for a while, and as she perspired more and more in the stifling heat, she couldn’t resist any longer. She walked to the door and locked it, quickly undressed, and immersed herself in the warm spring.

“So comfortable~” Wu Qingluan sighed and leaned back against the edge.

It was late summer, and the weather was sweltering. She had spent the whole day filming in heavy costumes, and the sweat had accumulated layer after layer. Taking a bath was a necessity.

In the warm spring, Wu Qingluan began to feel drowsy. Unconsciously, she stretched out her leg and touched something furry.

“Hmm?” Wu Qingluan shivered all over, suddenly wide awake.

The sensation just now… Oh god, not another ghostly encounter! Earlier, something furry had grabbed her leg, causing her to fall! Was that thing bothering her again?!

Wu Qingluan froze in the pool, not daring to move.

For a moment, even the temperature of the hot spring seemed to drop.

In the misty haze, a dark shadow appeared on the surface of the water, slowly approaching her.

“What is it? Go away!” Wu Qingluan shouted, scooping up water and splashing it toward the approaching shadow.

“Squeak!” The creature was hit and emitted a faint, pitiful cry. It sounded rather distressed.

Wu Qingluan propped herself against the edge of the pool and stood up. At this moment, the dark shadow had drifted to her side.

It wasn’t a shadow; it was a white bundle, chubby, with a pointed nose and big emerald eyes. It was gazing up at her.

Wu Qingluan breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t a ghost; it was a small Samoyed!

“Sorry about that,” Wu Qingluan apologized to the white bundle.

The white bundle “squeaked” again.

Wu Qingluan was puzzled. Do Samoyeds make “squeak” sounds? When she regained her senses, there was nothing on the water’s surface, and the little white bundle had disappeared.

After changing into dry clothes and drying her hair, Wu Qingluan walked out of the bathroom and saw Xuanwei. “Your pet dog can swim, right? I saw it in the water just now, but now it seems to have disappeared.”

Xuanwei’s expression was somewhat peculiar. “Pet dog?”

“That was a Samoyed, right? It looked really cute, around three months old, isn’t it?”

“…More or less,” Xuanwei replied as he reached out and pulled Wu Qingluan into a seat.

Wu Qingluan sat stiffly.

Xuanwei casually took out a hairdryer and began to blow-dry her hair.

As he ran his fingertips across Wu Qingluan’s scalp from time to time, his fingers felt slightly cool, and there seemed to be a thin callus on them, making her feel tingly and comfortable.

After drying her hair, Xuanwei helped her comb it.

Wu Qingluan had a head of long, thick, and lustrous hair that looked beautiful without the need for much styling. This was one of the features she was most proud of.

As the wooden comb glided smoothly through her hair, Wu Qingluan closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.

When Xuanwei put down the comb and carried her into the inner room, she was only fully aware of her surroundings when she was laid down on the bed. She sat up abruptly, wondering what had just happened. Why was she lying on the bed?

Xuanwei sat on the bed, lying down beside her. “Sleep.”

Wu Qingluan was too afraid to lie down.

Xuanwei waved his hand, and all the lights in the room went out. She heard his cold, distant voice say, “Eight million.”

Tears filled Wu Qingluan’s eyes as she reluctantly lay down.

Xuanwei turned to the side and quietly watched her in the darkness.

Wu Qingluan tightly closed her eyes, determined that if Xuanwei made any inappropriate moves, she would give him a hard time!

Strong drowsiness soon overcame her, and Wu Qingluan fell asleep unknowingly.

The night passed without incident, and she slept soundly, completely refreshed.

When Wu Qingluan woke up, Xuanwei was no longer on the bed. She stayed in bed for a while, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

It was as if she had slept here a very long time ago.

Wu Qingluan sighed deeply, covering her face. “I might actually be cursed. Oh heavens, please let me finish this shoot and go home soon!”

As Wu Qingluan left Xuanwei’s room, discreetly closing the door behind her, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind. “Hey!”

Wu Qingluan jumped in fright. “Who’s there?”

“Your man,” came a flirty voice.

The newcomer was Qin Rong, the male lead of this movie and Wu Qingluan’s on-screen lover.

Qin Rong wrapped his arm around Wu Qingluan’s shoulders. “You’re quite something, not even sparing the Daoist.”

Wu Qingluan forced a smile and distanced herself from Qin Rong. “I’ve come to seek the Daoist’s blessing for a brilliant career. Qin Shao, please don’t misunderstand.”

Qin Rong, sensing her lack of sincerity, let out a couple of cold laughs. “Wu Qingluan, we’re all part of this industry. What are you pretending for with me?”

Wu Qingluan silently advised herself not to pick a fight with this troublemaker. It wasn’t worth it, and she couldn’t afford it. She was planning to leave the entertainment industry, finish the job, get paid, and move on. Less talk, the better!

Qin Rong was known for his playboy lifestyle, open-mindedness, and boisterous personality. He had a fiery temper and could be very outspoken. As soon as he joined the production, he started hitting on Wu Qingluan. However, despite her friendly facade, Wu Qingluan was quite elusive and never gave him an opportunity to get closer.

Initially, Qin Rong wasn’t even interested in someone like Wu Qingluan, a woman in her thirties. But her attitude made him extremely annoyed, so he was determined to make his presence felt.

Wu Qingluan refused to engage with Qin Rong any further. He persisted, “Big sis, tonight we have a bedroom scene. I’m really looking forward to it!”

Wu Qingluan forced a dry laugh.

Seeing her unresponsive, Qin Rong sneered and walked away, leaving her behind.

Wu Qingluan angrily clenched her fists and mumbled to herself, “Who is he calling ‘big sis’!”

In the night, with the full moon hanging high, Director Li’s furious voice echoed through the set, “Wu Qingluan, Qin Rong, what are you two doing?!”

It was the most crucial scene in the entire film, where the male and female leads were supposed to express their deep affection, but they had already NG’d (failed to meet the director’s expectations) more than twenty times. In the most recent NG, Wu Qingluan had kicked Qin Rong off the bed.

Qin Rong climbed up with a grim expression, while Wu Qingluan pulled back the sheer bed curtain, her face darkening. She said sternly, “Mr. Qin, please behave yourself.”

Qin Rong, seething with anger, couldn’t find words to retort.

“Stop!” Director Li rushed over to them, smacking them with the script without any politeness. “Do you know what kind of relationship you two have? You’re lovers, deeply in love with each other, not flower thieves and the River Dong lion! You have half an hour to get it right, or you’re both out of here!”

Fuming, Director Li stormed off, leaving Wu Qingluan and Qin Rong glaring at each other.

Xiao Ma hurried over and pulled Wu Qingluan away, saying, “Sis, let’s take a break and go for a walk!”

Wu Qingluan adjusted her disheveled costume and replied to Xiao Ma, “I’m fine. I need some alone time.”

“It’s too late now, sis. Let me stay with you.”

“No need.”

With a sigh, Wu Qingluan wandered aimlessly through Qinglong Monastery. She truly wasn’t a competent actress. When she looked at Qin Rong’s face, she just couldn’t summon deep affection, let alone intimate actions.

That bastard Qin Rong had actually taken advantage of the scene to get handsy with her. She couldn’t stand it anymore. She had completely offended him now.

Wu Qingluan heard the sound of boiling water and, when she looked up, she saw Xuanwei sitting at the tea table. She had unknowingly returned to Xuanwei’s courtyard.

Wu Qingluan turned to leave, but Xuanwei stopped her. “Have a cup of tea before you go back to work.”

“…Alright.”

Wu Qingluan sat across from Xuanwei. As he poured the tea, her gaze once again fell on the screen with the cluster of beautiful peonies in the lower right corner and the three chubby little foxes lying beneath them.

Huh? Weren’t these three little foxes not there before? No, wait, she seemed to have seen them for the first time, then they disappeared, and now they’re back?

Xuanwei placed the tea cup in front of Wu Qingluan and said, “Please.”

“Thank you.”

Wu Qingluan sipped her tea and covertly observed Xuanwei. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly; he was truly a peerless beauty. If it weren’t for his peculiar identity as a Taoist, he might have charmed countless people to their doom!

Oh, if only she were acting alongside Xuanwei instead of Qin Rong. She might not have needed so many NGs.

No, no, no. What was she daydreaming about?

Xuanwei asked, “Facing some difficulties?”

Wu Qingluan put down her tea cup and couldn’t help but share her troubles with the difficulty she was facing in shooting intimate scenes.

“Intimate scenes?”

For some reason, even though Xuanwei’s tone hadn’t changed, Wu Qingluan felt that the temperature around her had dropped considerably.

“Well, it’s a romance movie, so having intimate scenes is quite normal.” She couldn’t believe what she was doing. Why was she discussing intimate scenes with a Taoist of all people? This Taoist was also her creditor!

Xuanwei nodded slightly and remained silent.

Feeling a bit flustered, Wu Qingluan stood up. “Time is running out; I should get back.”

Xuanwei’s chilly voice reached her ears. “If you find it very challenging, you can try to imagine that your scene partner is me; it might make things easier.”

Wu Qingluan: ???