The fact that Mrs. Lin had acted in a few films was widely known within the company.

Those who didn’t know about it probably learned from the recent gossip post.

Anyway, it wasn’t really a secret, and she didn’t act in anything embarrassing, so it wasn’t an issue for Shang Xinglu. In fact, she wasn’t at all embarrassed about it.

But because of that experience, now being asked to shoot an advertisement, Shang Xinglu felt a bit awkward.

No, no, no, I’m so embarrassed.

Shang Xinglu wished she could suddenly have amnesia.

How could she be acting in front of a camera?

Given that even taking selfies made her shake, how could she possibly face the entire country in front of a camera with a fake smile, alongside a fake-smiling boy?

Shang Xinglu waved her hand and said, “Well, there are plenty of other pretty girls in the company…”

After all, she was a standard “face person” who liked pretty girls.

“Using someone from the company sounds good, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be me. Yao Yao, I think you’re perfect for this. Your smile is sweet, cute, angelic, approachable, and most importantly, you’ve got the looks to beat out a whole bunch of actresses, and…”

Shang Xinglu went on and on, giving Yao Yao all sorts of compliments.

At this point, Designer Xiao Wu rolled his eyes, “Miss Lou, are you done? If not, we can talk more later. Yao Yao is pretty, but with the way you’re praising her, I thought you were trying to flirt with her!”

At the company, they were informal when talking to Shang Xinglu, but with Yao Yao, they were more respectful.

Xiao Wu assumed that since it was a meeting, with Shang Xinglu praising Yao Yao like this, Yao Yao would definitely stay professional.

Who knew, the usually tough and strict Yao Yao smiled faintly, her cheeks blushing just a little, and said, “Louise, you’re too generous with your praise…”

Xiao Wu: “!”

This slightly shy Yao Yao…

Oh my god! Lou’s compliments are truly unbeatable!

Yao Yao continued: “I think you can do it, not just because of your looks. There are thousands of pretty girls out there, each with their own beauty, and we could hire an unknown model just the same, and still reach the goal.”

That’s true… Shang Xinglu thought.

Yao Yao: “Louise, first, you have experience with shooting; secondly, a little personal bias on my part, but recently you’ve been really popular online. We can see from the sales performance on e-commerce that you have a strong ability to influence consumers; and lastly, the looks, Louise, you’re very attractive, everyone can see that, no need to say more…”

At this point, Shang Xinglu, rubbing her head, interrupted with a proud but slightly annoying expression, “Hahaha, am I really that good-looking? Haha, I’m so happy, hahaha…”

Xiao Wu and others: “…”

Please stop, with that face, your looks could last another ten years!

Yao Yao continued: “Lastly, your position in Bichen is quite representative. Considering all these factors, I believe you’re actually the most suitable person for the job.”

Accountant Xiao Zhang suddenly piped up, “President Yao, you forgot one reason.”

Everyone in the meeting room looked at her.

Xiao Zhang pushed up her black-framed glasses and said, “Asking Miss Lou to shoot the ad costs nothing! Such a great deal!”

Everyone: “…”

Seriously!!!

Then everyone looked at the budget table and calculated carefully…

Hmm, getting Lou for free, she’s attractive, experienced, and has traffic—perfect! Really perfect!

Everyone agreed unanimously.

Except for Shang Xinglu.

Shang Xinglu bit her sleeve and whimpered.

Oh my god, if I jump off the second floor of the company now, will I break my leg in time?

…

Even if Shang Xinglu wanted to break her leg, no one would let her do it at that moment.

These days at Bichen, everyone she encountered had that sinister smile like the Big Bad Wolf.

Shang Xinglu felt like a hamster trembling in a cage, being watched by several cats.

When the decision was made for Shang Xinglu to be the one to do the ad, Bichen also decided on two other candidates.

One was Li Xinyue, a new actress who had just debuted and was playing a supporting role in a big IP drama this season. The other was He Jiajia, a junior introduced by Shang Xinglu’s sister, former supermodel Jiang Lexuan.

Most of the budget was spent hiring Jiang Lexuan’s junior, as recently He Jiajia hadn’t landed any major blue-chip brand deals in international fashion shows but had worked several other big brand shows, making her one of the rising stars in the domestic modeling world.

Given the price Shang Xinglu and the others were offering, it was actually a favor from Jiang Lexuan.

Li Xinyue, the new actress, had more availability in her schedule, and once He Jiajia’s schedule was confirmed, the shooting date was set.

After trembling and almost wanting to break her leg for two or three days, Shang Xinglu finally stopped trembling.

She went home and practiced her smile in front of the mirror. She figured she’d start with practicing the smile—can’t go wrong with that.

Her ever-helpful assistant Marilyn was by her side.

Shang Xinglu had practiced smiling before, back when she was still married to Lin Heng—just for the sake of arguments.

She thought, it shouldn’t be too hard.

Shang Xinglu smiled at herself in the mirror.

Emmmm…

Something’s not right.

The smile was very lady-like, but it gave off a kind of—“step aside, I’m in charge” strong vibe.

She wasn’t acting in a palace drama…

Shang Xinglu rubbed her face and continued.

She smiled again.

Emmmmmm…

Still not right.

This smile didn’t come off as strong, it was more like—“who do you think you are, little b*tch, to mess with me” vibe.

Shang Xinglu rubbed her face again and tried once more.

This time, her smile carried a new core meaning—“I don’t want to smile, but I’ll force one just to deal with you”—a fake, perfunctory grin.

She glanced at Marilyn’s perfect maid-like smile in the mirror.

So bright, so polite, so natural…

Shang Xinglu stared at her own reflection, falling into deep self-doubt.

Looking at herself, she asked with sorrow, “The wealthy life… what has it turned my once innocent self into?!”

Marilyn: “…”

Innocent?!

More like completely ridiculous!

Shang Xinglu stood in front of the mirror, trying to force a smile, but she ended up looking like the infamous fake-smile meme boy.

She kept forcing it until her facial muscles started twitching involuntarily.

Right then, Lin Heng called her via video. Shang Xinglu answered.

Lin Heng’s background clearly showed he was still at the office.

Looking a little guilty, he said, “Sorry, I don’t think I can make it to dinner tonight.”

Shang Xinglu replied casually, “It’s fine, we’re both busy.”

It was only then that she remembered—they had actually made dinner plans, with Assistant Yuan booking a fancy restaurant, one of the most romantic places in the city for the wealthy to go on dates.

But Lin Heng had been busy after work, so when she got his message, she simply went home instead.

And once she got home, she completely forgot about it.

However, the guilt in Lin Heng’s eyes was real. Seeing that, the ever-forgetful Shang Xinglu suddenly felt a little guilty herself. She tried to smile to lighten the mood.

Unfortunately, after forcing so many smiles earlier, her facial muscles were still twitching. The moment she smiled, the corners of her mouth began to spasm uncontrollably.

Lin Heng: “…”

Shang Xinglu hurriedly rubbed her face. “I swear I’m not sneering at you!”

She tried smiling again.

…Still twitching.

Lin Heng: “…………”

She continued “smiling” while trying to explain, “I-I really don’t mind! I don’t care at all that you stood me up! Please believe me!”

Lin Heng: “…………”

Meanwhile, Lin Heng was thinking—What kind of gift should I buy to make Louise stop being sarcastic, even though she claims she isn’t?

With both of them misunderstanding each other, they ended the call.

Lin Heng, deep in thought, turned to Assistant Yuan and asked, “If I were to buy a gift for Louise, what would be a good choice?”

For most women, Assistant Yuan would’ve suggested luxury bags, watches, jewelry, sports cars, or even real estate.

But considering what kind of person Lin Heng’s ex-wife was…

After dealing with his boss’s romantic troubles for so long, Assistant Yuan had already developed nerves of steel.

Smiling, he said, “How about a penguin? Miss Shang really likes penguins, doesn’t she?”

The next second, Lin Heng’s expression darkened.

Assistant Yuan: “…?”

Wait, wait… I didn’t mean for you to raise one…

Did I… do something wrong again?!

So unsettling!

Back at home, Shang Xinglu continued practicing her smile. However, rather than achieving the fresh, natural expression required for the commercial, she only managed to develop a perfectly suited “rich lady about to engage in a high-society feud” kind of look.

She might not have been the sharpest or the smartest, but one thing she had in abundance was determination.

Thinking back to the trade show, where those idle brand ambassadors had been hanging around… among them was Jiang Lexuan, a former supermodel who had once walked over forty shows in a single fashion week and had landed endorsements for top luxury brands like CK and LV.

Of course, those were the good old days.

Jiang Lexuan herself had once jokingly said, “I may no longer be in the industry, but my legend remains.”

So, the next day after work, Shang Xinglu ditched Lin Heng’s dinner invitation and went to find Jiang Lexuan for training instead.

She left work a little early and arrived at Jiang Lexuan’s penthouse exactly at 5 PM.

The supermodel lazily crawled out of bed, looking half-asleep.

Shang Xinglu asked, “Did you just wake up from a nap?”

Jiang Lexuan yawned, “No… I partied all night and only went to bed at six in the morning. I just woke up now. Lisa, get me a black coffee and a small bowl of salad.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

She, on the other hand, had been grinding away at work since 9 AM.

Suddenly, she understood how Lin Heng must have felt back then.

These hedonistic people… Damn, she was jealous!

After freshening up—just brushing her teeth and washing her face—Jiang Lexuan casually sipped her coffee and adjusted her robe.

“So, you want to learn how to pose? Didn’t you already know how? Why come to me?”

Shang Xinglu could only reply, “That and this are two different things. Besides, it’s been so long—who even remembers anymore?”

“Fair enough.”

Since it was her friend who needed help, Jiang Lexuan was happy to share her expertise.

She explained, “For commercials, dynamic movements are slightly more difficult, especially with dialogue involved. Try striking a random pose first.”

Random?

No problem!

Since she was with Jiang Lexuan, she didn’t feel pressured at all. It was like how Jiang Lexuan, despite being a beauty queen, could sit around in pajamas with no makeup in front of her.

So, Shang Xinglu pulled out her universal go-to pose.

She grinned widely, radiating joy—not like yesterday’s forced rich-lady smile, but more like a farmer celebrating a bountiful harvest. Then, she threw up a V-sign with her fingers.

Jiang Lexuan: “…………”

It was… the aura of death.