Chapter 28 – “A Beautiful Girl at Home”:

When he returned to his workstation, Gu Chen had already added Gu Chen’s friend, Bian Feng, on WeChat. Shen Baizhou felt a sense of being saved at the last moment. Gu Chen was a decent person—helping him like this risked losing his own job. Shen Baizhou thought to himself that if he ever got the chance, he would make sure to return the favor. This debt of gratitude was firmly noted.

“Director Shen, Gu Chen gave me a rough idea of the situation,” Bian Feng sent him a voice message. “I happen to be meeting a friend today at the Imperial Capital Film Academy. Are you free to come by?”

Imperial Capital Film Academy? Shen Baizhou thought it was perfect—he hadn’t seen his cousin in a long time, so he might as well stop by. His cousin, Cheng Xiangyu, was studying her junior year there. This little firecracker always had a good social circle; maybe she could even introduce him to a few actors for free.

So he replied to Bian Feng: “I’ll come over now.”

Looking up, he called out to Wang Xiaopang and Zhang Xiaomei: “Let’s go.”
“Where to?” Wang Xiaopang asked.
“What for?”
“To the Imperial Capital Film Academy,” Shen Baizhou said. “To shoot a movie.”

Imperial Capital Film Academy – Miti Milk Tea Shop.

Cheng Xiangyu, sitting at the table, wore a coffee-colored short skirt paired with a slightly uniform-styled white three-quarter sleeve top, revealing smooth, fair legs. Her eyes were clear, her face delicate and cool; she stood out brilliantly in the crowd.

A few nearby boys pretended to sip their milk tea, but their eyes kept sneaking glances at her exquisite features. They were subtle about it, careful not to let their girlfriends notice. But Luo Yu, sitting across from Cheng Xiangyu, had no such restraint. He stared at her charming face with a smirk, his expression full of infatuated flattery.

“Yuyu, you look amazing today.”
“You’re so clingy today,” Cheng Xiangyu tilted her head to sip her milk tea.
“Big bro, I was waiting for someone. You were walking fine just now, so why did you suddenly rush in and sit across from me?”
“I just saw our department’s flower sitting alone in the crowd—it looked too lonely,” Luo Yu said in a self-righteous tone. “A queen can’t be without a guard, and a flower must have a protector…”
“Please, I don’t need your guarding,” Cheng Xiangyu said flatly. “I heard the top beauty of Su University returned today. All the ambitious second-generation rich kids are rushing to see her before graduation… At such a critical time, Mr. Luo, don’t waste your youth on little me. Someone like Senior Su is the starry sea you should be pursuing.”

“Chasing her requires a sports car. By the time I got there, the 5th-floor dorms were already gridlocked; if I were late, there’d be no parking.” Luo Yu shook his head. “I’ll stay with you instead, Yuyu. I’m a practical man, that’s my only merit.”
“I appreciate your honesty,” Cheng Xiangyu rolled her eyes. “But my lane has an entry requirement. You can pursue me, but you have to be really handsome!”

“Not handsome?” Luo Yu widened his eyes in shock and disbelief. “Look at my masculine eyebrows, my thick hair! Not handsome?”
“I mean handsome at this level.” Cheng Xiangyu opened a photo on her phone and showed it to Luo Yu. In it was a boy with refined features, clear eyes, an air of intellect—it was Shen Baizhou.

“Who’s this?” Luo Yu’s expression faltered. “Your friend?”
“My boyfriend!” Cheng Xiangyu snorted. “He’ll be here soon. Not only is he handsome, he’s also a director. You better leave before getting psychologically hurt.”

“Ha! Who would believe that?” Luo Yu sneered, thinking the photo was surely photoshopped. In today’s world, you could snap a picture of an old man on the street and turn him into a pop idol. This wouldn’t intimidate him—Luo Yu had played the game of love for years, relying on shameless persistence.

Cheng Xiangyu was one of the top beauties at the Imperial Capital Film Academy. Especially after Su Bingshan, the campus beauty, graduated this July, Cheng Xiangyu might rise to the top. A girl of this caliber required determination to pursue. Luo Yu glanced at the photo, unfazed, and smiled at Cheng Xiangyu as if to say: “I don’t believe it!”

“Fine, then wait for good news,” Cheng Xiangyu said impatiently, glancing at her phone. Suddenly, she brightened: “Ah, he’s here!”
“Who?”
“My man!” She jumped up and waved at the group entering the shop: “Over here, over here!”

Luo Yu peeked and saw four people walking in: a chubby guy in hip-hop clothes, a petite girl with big eyes, a slouchy long-haired man who looked disdainful, and in the middle, a man in a simple white shirt. The white shirt, though ordinary, made him look dazzling—like “white clothing surpassing snow.”

The man had black, thick hair, a truly refined face, and when he looked at Cheng Xiangyu, he smiled—a bright, sunny smile… He was really handsome.

Luo Yu’s mood instantly soured. Cheng Xiangyu’s enchanting face now glowed with a sweet smile as she flung her long, beautiful hair and called out: “Shen Baizhou! Come here, into sister’s arms!”

Her coquettish call drew everyone’s attention and countless admiring glances.

“No respect for elders!” Shen Baizhou chuckled wryly. Cheng Xiangyu had always been like this—she refused to call him “brother” or allow him to call her “sister,” often insisting on taking the upper hand… completely ignoring tradition.

He led Wang Xiaopang, Zhang Xiaomei, and Bian Feng to the table and introduced everyone, then greeted Luo Yu with a smile. “And this handsome guy is?”

“He’s not important—he’s the least likely of my many admirers,” Cheng Xiangyu said without looking at Luo Yu. Then she patted Wang Xiaopang: “Handsome, do me a favor.”
“Sure, sure,” Wang Xiaopang nodded eagerly. He never expected that Brother Zhou’s cousin would be even prettier than the company’s young actresses; he was a bit nervous.

“Let’s switch seats,” Cheng Xiangyu winked. “Brother Xiao Zhou likes to sit next to me, but he’s always too shy to say so. I have to play the bad guy every time.”

She switched seats with Wang Xiaopang, looping her arm around Shen Baizhou and pressing the milk tea straw to his lips: “Drink!”
“I’m ordering my own, you know…” Shen Baizhou frowned.
Cheng Xiangyu pointed to his eyebrows, as if to smooth the tiny wrinkles: “Drink mine first—I saved all the pearls for you, you heartless man, how dare you refuse?”

“It’s not like when we were kids,” Shen Baizhou muttered, yet still took a sip from the straw.
“Done?” Cheng Xiangyu nodded in satisfaction, pressing her face to his and puckering her pink lips. She then pulled out her phone for a selfie.

Luo Yu’s face darkened. So it was true—this really was her boyfriend! From their earlier conversation, they seemed to be childhood sweethearts, sharing a straw for milk tea all these years…

Worse, Cheng Xiangyu now pressed her body against Shen Baizhou; her full chest under the white T-shirt was snug against his arm. Luo Yu’s face twitched.

Usually, Yuyu barely gave boys the time of day—many rich heirs had been rejected by her—but today she was acting clingy. What was going on?

After Shen Baizhou ordered everyone’s milk tea, long-haired Bian Feng, clearly impatient, said: “Director Shen, let’s talk about the filming…” He had tried subtly asking about the cast several times, but the three kept dodging. Now he finally had the chance to ask directly: “How’s the casting going for our crew?”