“He’ll agree. After all, it was my father who funded his overseas studies,” Jiang Rong said lightly, as though it were a trivial matter. Without hesitation, she picked up her phone and called Professor Fu to finalize the arrangements.

“Classes start next weekend.”

Just like that… it was settled?

Jiang Rong, eager to attend an oil painting exhibition with her friend, left shortly after. Meanwhile, Cheng Youran, who was about to become the younger sister-in-training of an acclaimed actor and actress, still couldn’t quite wrap her head around this turn of events.

Fang Liuyun walked over, a stack of documents in hand and a perfectly composed smile on her face. With her usual calm demeanor, she reminded, “Madam, it’s time for your studies.”

Back at the villa, Cheng Youran climbed to the third-floor study, where the desk was already piled high with thick stacks of materials and books. As a housemaid pulled out a chair for her, she felt her legs trembling beneath her.

“You’ll need to memorize all of this within a week,” Fang Liuyun said, offering a tone of encouragement.

“All of this? These books are real? They actually exist?” Cheng Youran asked in disbelief.

“They certainly do,” Fang Liuyun confirmed with a nod.

Cheng Youran’s vision darkened as she stared at the daunting pile.

Thud! She collapsed straight to the ground.

“Call 120! The Madam fainted from fright!”

Fang Liuyun’s expression grew complicated: …Is it really that terrifying?

……

One Week Later, at the Li Residence

A tall woman sat on the sofa. Her face wasn’t strikingly beautiful, but her elegance and refined air made her stand out. Nervously, she dialed a number. When the call connected, she spoke politely, “Hello, Professor Fu. This is Gu Yao.”

“Hello,” came the reply.

Professor Fu answered the call while adjusting his reading glasses and reviewing Cheng Youran’s profile. He sighed heavily as he read. In all his years, he had never encountered a student so utterly devoid of acting talent. It was proving to be quite the challenge for him.

His tone was distant, catching Gu Yao off guard. She, having always been pampered and admired, hesitated briefly before continuing courteously, “Professor Fu, you may not recognize my name.”

“Allow me to introduce myself. I graduated from the Beijing Film Academy’s Class of 2012 in Acting. Recently, I was honored to receive the Best Actress award at the Wisteria Film Festival. However, I’m aware that I still have much to learn in terms of acting. I would love to be your student—if I’m qualified, that is.”

Qualified?

Professor Fu removed his reading glasses. The Wisteria Film Festival was just a small event. Every one of his students had exceptional talent, and someone thought they could become his pupil based on that alone? The thought almost made him laugh.

But as he glanced over Cheng Youran’s profile, the faint smile froze on his face. Faced with such a challenging student, he shook his head. Still, competition was the driving force of progress.

“Come to the Beijing Film Academy next Saturday at 9 a.m.”

He said curtly before ending the call. Jiang Rong’s father had once been a benefactor to him, someone to whom he owed a great debt. Since Jiang Rong entrusted Cheng Youran to him, he wouldn’t let her down. How could he bear to?

Professor Fu let out a bitter chuckle.

“Zhicheng, Professor Fu agreed to teach me!” Gu Yao exclaimed after ending her call. She pressed a hand to her chest, overwhelmed by the unexpected news. “I thought he would refuse—he hasn’t taken on a student in years.”

The man beside her took a slow drag from his cigar, the smoke curling around his sharp, composed features. He wrapped his other arm around Gu Yao.

“You’re so outstanding. Why would he refuse you?”

Gu Yao smiled elegantly. “Save the praise for later. Once I’ve secured the lead role in Graceful Splendor this afternoon, then you can flatter me all you want.”

“Alright, whatever you say.”

With that, he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers.

That afternoon, Gu Yao got into a car with her manager and assistant. The audition for Graceful Splendor was being held in a meeting room rented by the production team.

“Gu Yao-jie, you look so elegant today,” the assistant in the front passenger seat turned around to compliment her.

Gu Yao smiled faintly.

Everyone knew Director Meng preferred actresses with a pure and delicate image. All his leading ladies had fine brows, almond-shaped eyes, and oval faces. Today, Gu Yao had deliberately chosen a white Elisa dress, paired with a slender khaki belt to highlight her waistline.

Meanwhile, in another car…

“I bet everyone assumes the lead role in Graceful Splendor will go to someone with a pure image,” Fang Liuyun remarked, dressed in a sleek black suit. She shook her head lightly.

Cheng Youran was lying back, taking a quick nap. Hearing Fang Liuyun’s comment, she responded without opening her eyes, “Graceful Splendor is a script Meng Lang spent three years writing. The lead character is based on one of his female friends—she’s like a wildfire, burning through his youth…”

Why was she so well-versed in this?

Because over the past week, Cheng Youran had been frantically absorbing everything there was to know about Meng Lang—his life story, artistic style, and the customs of the era depicted in Graceful Splendor. She’d practically overdosed on information. Every night, Fang Liuyun, Jiang Rong, and even a few maids took turns quizzing her on every detail of Meng Lang’s life.

If Lu Zixiao hadn’t been preoccupied with handling a Maserati issue and stayed out of sight for a week, Cheng Youran was convinced he would’ve joined their “Dark Study Group,” led by the ultimate villainous backer, Lu Zixiao himself.

Thinking of this, Cheng Youran couldn’t help but pat her chest, still feeling a lingering sense of dread.

It was no exaggeration to say that Meng Lang was an open book to her. She even knew about the time he got into a fight with a classmate in fourth grade and had his parents called to school. What’s more, Gao Qiao had managed to track down the real-life inspiration for the Graceful Splendor heroine in the United States. They had even bridged the gap across the ocean to have a one-on-one heart-to-heart conversation.

—After all, her “cheat code” was the entire Lu Corporation. The speed of their investment and investigative team was unparalleled—they’d dug up every detail about Meng Lang in just two days.

Fang Liuyun looked at Cheng Youran with satisfaction. A week of effort hadn’t gone to waste. Heaven knew that to keep Cheng Youran focused, Fang Liuyun had spent her study hours managing her game account—auto-playing, leveling up, and defeating monsters. Negotiating financing projects hadn’t been this tricky.

The car came to a stop in front of the building. Cheng Youran and Fang Liuyun stepped out and entered, pressing the elevator button.

Not many people qualified to attend the audition, but as luck—or misfortune—would have it, Cheng Youran ran into an old acquaintance in front of the elevator.

“Well, if it isn’t Cheng Youran?”

A woman with sun-kissed skin stood there in a pale yellow skirt suit. She had pronounced double eyelids, a sharp nose, and a chin so pointed it could almost poke someone. Feigning surprise, she called out to Cheng Youran.

Oh, it was Yuan Yifei.

Cheng Youran didn’t even spare her a glance. In the past, the original Cheng Youran and Yuan Yifei had been under the same agency. Back then, when both were nobodies, they’d gotten along well enough, even showing up to events in matching outfits.

But once the original Cheng Youran rose to fame after a successful commercial, Yuan Yifei’s jealousy reared its head. She’d told reporters Cheng Youran had undergone plastic surgery and a breast augmentation, even hinting she was transgender. Yuan Yifei had claimed, “A normal woman’s nose bridge wouldn’t be that high,” only to turn around and get a “social media influencer makeover” herself.

Cheng Youran: …And somehow, my looks are the problem?

“Becoming Mrs. Lu really changes a person—your chin’s practically pointing to the sky now,” Yuan Yifei said with a pointed glance at Cheng Youran, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

The other actors waiting for the elevator exchanged knowing looks, faint smirks playing on their lips as they anticipated drama.

“Exactly,” Cheng Youran replied with a nod. “If your husband were worth tens of billions, your chin would be up there too.”

She turned her head, casting a curious glance at Yuan Yifei. “The question is—do you have one?”

The answer, of course, was no.

Watching Cheng Youran effortlessly marry into wealth had Yuan Yifei fuming. Over the years, she’d hopped from one wealthy man to another, but none had taken her seriously—she was just a pretty face for them to pass the time with, not someone they’d consider marrying.

Yuan Yifei, caught off guard, choked on her anger. A few of the actresses watching the scene unfold rushed to pat her back, pretending to console her while barely hiding their amusement.

Just then, the elevator arrived.

Cheng Youran stepped in with Fang Liuyun, and Yuan Yifei quickly followed. She glanced at Cheng Youran and, this time, made her jab with a sly undertone. “Director Meng chooses his leads based on acting skills.”

It seemed she’d learned her lesson—not daring to confront Cheng Youran head-on anymore.

Fang Liuyun chuckled softly. Film directors, especially renowned ones, rarely adhered to fixed casting standards.

Sometimes, they would choose complete newcomers with no acting experience as leads, captivated solely by their unique aura or presence.

That’s why, over the past week, Cheng Youran’s lessons had been more like a general education in aesthetics and understanding the role, rather than a crash course in acting.

Besides, it was unrealistic to expect a dramatic improvement in acting skills within just a week.

“Oh? Why emphasize something you clearly don’t have?” Cheng Youran remarked, her gaze fixed on the elevator panel as the numbers climbed steadily.

Yuan Yifei was momentarily stunned into silence. Then, as if remembering something, she composed herself and smiled coolly at Cheng Youran. “Say what you want. When the results are out, I’m afraid you won’t be able to.”

Yuan Yifei’s confidence stemmed from knowing that the assistant director in charge of casting was her uncle. Even if she didn’t land the role herself, she would make sure Cheng Youran didn’t, either.

The thought that Cheng Youran would dare to compete for the lead role hadn’t crossed her mind. After all, Cheng Youran’s acting skills were just as terrible as her own.

“Number One: Gu Yao,” a staff member called out as soon as Cheng Youran stepped out of the elevator.

She looked up just in time to see Gu Yao’s tall figure disappearing into the audition room.

Cheng Youran was number twelve, the last to audition. Unsure how long she would have to wait, she didn’t dare start a game—how awkward would it be if she entered a dungeon only to be called in the middle of it?

Instead, she picked up a xianxia novel titled Moonlit Aspirations. What began as a way to kill time soon had her completely engrossed.

“Twelve, Cheng Youran.”

It wasn’t until Fang Liuyun took her phone away that Cheng Youran snapped out of her trance. She adjusted her hair slightly and headed toward the meeting room.

On the other side of the room, Gu Yao’s assistant was touching up her makeup on the sofa. “Sister Gu Yao, I can’t believe Cheng Youran is here to audition, too,” the assistant commented.

Gu Yao didn’t give it much thought. Shaking her head, she replied dismissively, “Her?”

Back at the Beijing Film Academy, they had been classmates. Later, one after the other, they both married into wealthy families. People often compared them, creating a supposed rivalry.

Sure, Cheng Youran had good looks, but her acting skills and intelligence were questionable at best. Cheng Youran had always seen her as a competitor, trying to catch up, but Gu Yao had never considered her a rival.

The only thing that truly surprised her was that Lu Zixiao hadn’t divorced Cheng Youran yet.

—Though, Gu Yao mused, that was probably just a matter of time.

The assistant chuckled softly. “I honestly didn’t think Cheng Youran would show up to audition. Does Director Meng look blind to you?”

Inside the meeting room, Meng Lang stood up from his chair, his expression dark. “Other than Gu Yao, I’m not satisfied with anyone. Let’s just go with her.”

As he prepared to leave, an assistant director quickly stopped him. “Director Meng, there’s still one more person.”

“Wasn’t it only eleven candidates?”

Meng Lang picked up the audition list and glanced at it, confirming there were only eleven names. The last on the list was Yuan Yifei.

The moment Meng Lang saw Yuan Yifei’s name, his eye twitched. He’d never seen worse acting—she couldn’t even memorize her lines on the spot and had to read directly from the script during her performance.

“She was added last week,” the assistant director explained.

Meng Lang’s expression soured further. Someone added at the last minute? How much could he reasonably expect from her performance?

Just then, the door to the meeting room swung open, and Cheng Youran stepped inside…

=^_^=