Chapter 4: Missing Her to the Point of Death

Lu Hui shifted her gaze away from the television screen. The string of coincidences gnawed at her unease. After a few seconds of hesitation, she paused and asked, “Is there a chance… that the fiancée he’s talking about is me?”

Lin Tong reacted as if he’d just heard the most outrageous thing in the world. After a brief silence, he let out two dry laughs. “Get a grip.”

Lu Hui nodded, agreeing with him. “Yeah, I don’t think I’m quite in my right mind either.”

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

The male lead in the novel should be living happily ever after with his one true love by now. Why would he suddenly show up in her world?

Lin Tong smirked. “If I were a woman, I’d definitely want to marry someone like President Xie—rich, good-looking, gentle yet strict.”

Lu Hui chuckled. “Wow, Lin-ge, I didn’t know you had such ambitious dreams. I wish you success in achieving them.”

Lin Tong shuddered. “Get lost. I was joking.”

The waiter began serving their dishes one after another. They had ordered nearly ten dishes. The plates were large, but the portions were disappointingly small.

Lu Hui cut a piece of foie gras and tasted it, offering an honest review: “Delicious.”

Lin Tong rolled his eyes. “For five hundred bucks, it better be.”

Even ten dishes weren’t enough, so they ordered two main courses—one serving of crab sauce noodles for 288 yuan and a beef fried rice for 188 yuan.

Lin Tong swiped his card at checkout, feeling the sting as he signed the receipt.

They had spent nearly three thousand yuan on one meal. Had he known, he would have found someone to split the bill with!

Lu Hui consoled him, “Don’t worry, Lin-ge. When I get rich, I’ll treat you to an even fancier meal.”

Lin Tong scoffed, unconvinced. “I doubt I’ll live to see that day.”

Then, he asked, “You still haven’t told me where you disappeared to for the past month.”

Lu Hui was vague, evading the main point. “I went to see a doctor.”

“You were sick? Was it serious? Are you better now?”

“I’m fine now.”

“Alright, there’s not much work these days. Next week, I’ll take you to a variety show as a background character. Come by the company tomorrow to sign the contract.”

“What variety show?”

“Star Match-Up.”

“Oh.”

Star Match-Up was an indoor variety show that had gained popularity on Channel Five in the past two years. The hosts and guest stars were all big names. For someone as irrelevant as Lu Hui, she’d probably just be a decorative extra without a single speaking opportunity.

Lin Tong drove Lu Hui home. Before she got out, he had a lot to say: “Be more careful from now on. Stop getting involved with Sheng Zhaoming. The higher-ups at the company are sick of hearing about you. Also, don’t take today’s failed audition personally. I think the company wants to push that girl Shuangshuang instead. It’s not necessarily about talent—Shuangshuang isn’t even as good-looking as you.”

Lin Tong was full of complaints.

He had long been fed up with Yue-jie and her artists.

Back when he signed Lu Hui, a natural beauty, the other top agents in the company were envious. They’d even sabotaged him at work and snatched away projects.

But when it became clear that Lu Hui wasn’t destined for stardom, they stopped pretending to be polite.

When Lu Hui’s scandal broke, major gossip accounts took turns mocking her, as if they were afraid the internet’s outrage wasn’t strong enough. They wanted to snuff out her career before it even started.

The more Lin Tong thought about it, the angrier he got. Through clenched teeth, he said, “They’re only stepping on you because they think you’ll never make it in this industry.”

The online discussions were ruthless:

“Our company is also a victim here—we signed someone like her.”“She’s disrespectful even to senior colleagues.”“Getting canceled was inevitable.”“I should ask her for tips on how to mess up so badly.”

Lin Tong was furious but couldn’t fight back. Without fame, there was no leverage. Without status, there was no voice.

—

At the company, apart from the artist department, everyone else worked a regular 9-to-5 schedule.

At nine in the morning, Lu Hui arrived at the company’s headquarters.

It was Friday, the day of the weekly meeting. Everyone was in attendance, including artists who didn’t have any scheduled activities.

Lu Hui went to Lin Tong’s desk and had just taken out the contract when Lin Tong was called into the meeting. Before leaving, he said, “Don’t go anywhere. Wait for me to finish.”

“Alright, Lin-ge.”

Lin Tong hunched his shoulders and found a quiet corner to sit in. Weekly meetings were mostly about work summaries.

The big stars and their agents would receive hours of praise. People like him, if they weren’t singled out for incompetence, were already lucky.

As the general manager took his seat, the meeting began. But then—

Lin Tong’s phone rang.

His expression changed as he hurriedly silenced it and apologized, “Sorry, forgot to mute it.”

But the calls kept coming. Left with no choice, he picked up and whispered, “Who the hell is this? Do you ever stop?”

“I’m the assistant director of Seeking Immortals. You’re Lu Hui’s agent, right? The director was very impressed with her audition yesterday. Come by to sign the contract for the third female lead.”

Lin Tong’s first reaction was disbelief. He thought it was a scam.

“Bullshit. Lu Hui auditioned for the fourth female lead.”

The assistant director responded impatiently, “The director thinks she’s more suitable for the third female lead. What, you don’t want it?”

Lin Tong still couldn’t believe it. “Wait… This is real?”

“Do I get paid for lying to you?”

Lin Tong lowered his voice. “I’ll call you back after this meeting.”

Unfortunately, he couldn’t escape scrutiny during the meeting. Lu Hui was once again used as an example of failure by the company higher-ups.

But Lin Tong, unable to contain his excitement, smirked and said, “Boss, our Huihui is finally growing up. She just landed the third female lead in Seeking Immortals. Don’t worry, she’ll focus on her acting and prove everyone wrong.”

The entire meeting room turned to stare at him.

Lin Tong held his head high, grinning.

The boss’s expression softened as he nodded approvingly. “Very good. Keep it up.”

“Yes, sir!”

For the first time in his life, Lin Tong felt truly triumphant.

So it was true—Lu Hui wasn’t lying! She had really landed the role, and not just any role, but a more prominent one than expected.

After the meeting, Yue-jie glanced at him and sneered. “Didn’t see that coming.”

Lin Tong feigned innocence, but his tone was smug. “What’s wrong, Yue-jie? Were you confident your Shuangshuang had it in the bag?”

Yue-jie’s smile was cold. “Seems I underestimated how far Lu Hui was willing to go.”

A veiled accusation.

Lin Tong beamed. “Oh, please. You’re giving your girl too much credit. With her skills, we don’t even need underhanded tactics.”

Yue-jie’s expression darkened. “What did you just say?”

“Busy now. Bye, sis.”

Not only Yue-jie, but also the coworkers who had ridiculed Lu Hui before were shocked.

Was Lu Hui actually making a comeback? How did someone with her acting skills land another role?

They comforted themselves: It’s just a web drama. It won’t make waves.

And when the drama aired, Lu Hui’s lack of talent would get her mocked all over again.

Let her have this moment. It wouldn’t last.

Meanwhile, Lin Tong was still in a great mood.

Lu Hui asked, “Didn’t they scold you? Why are you so happy?”

“Guess what? The director called. You got the role.”

“I told you that yesterday.”

“I didn’t believe you.”

“…Ha.”