This film tells the story of a special forces soldier stationed at the border.

The male lead, Yu Jian, is an adopted son of the Yu family. He grew up alongside the Yu family’s daughter and they were childhood sweethearts. However, when Yu Jian turned eighteen, he suddenly discovered that the Yu family had been secretly involved in some shady business behind his back. Moreover, they weren’t his benefactors at all; his real parents had been frontline law enforcement officers, and the Yu family were the ones who had killed his father and mother.

After learning the truth, Yu Jian resolutely left the Yu family and joined the special forces. The story unfolds with a series of love and hate entanglements between him and the Yu family.

Today, Su Mo was performing the scene where the male lead just learned that the Yu family were his enemies and was about to leave.

Leaving meant that when they met again, they would be enemies. The Yu family’s daughter, who is the female second lead in this story, Yu Keyan, was filled with despair, confusion, and heartache at that moment, but she still clung to a shred of hope that Yu Jian might stay. The emotions were complex to the extreme.

The performance was on point, the emotions were full, and most importantly, her appearance matched the character.

Wasn’t the girl in front of him just like the initial image of Yu Keyan? Pure and clean, like an angel just descending from heaven.

In the early part of the film, Yu Keyan is portrayed as such—a pure and pristine snow lotus, well-protected by the Yu family.

But after Yu Jian leaves, she undergoes a series of changes.

The question was whether she could pull off the darker side of the character later on, Yuan Hongsheng thought as he watched Su Mo.

Su Mo’s performance just now had exceeded Yuan Hongsheng’s expectations.

Whether it was her outstanding acting skills or her pure, bright appearance, she was an authentic portrayal of the early stage of Yu Keyan in his script.

However, the difficulty with Yu Keyan’s character was that she starts off as pure as an untarnished snow lotus but later transforms into a demon straight out of hell.

The contrast between the pure and the dark was the biggest challenge for this role.

From Su Mo’s earlier performance, it was clear that she could nail the early, pure version of Yu Keyan without any problem. The question now was whether she could handle the later, darker transformation.

As Yuan Hongsheng was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed Su Mo standing up. Her expression shifted, and then she smiled, but this time, it was a smile that radiated an inner darkness. The same face, yet it sent a chill down his spine and a sense of fear surged in his heart.

It was as if this seemingly casual smile contained a bloodthirsty light.

“You tell me, if I cut the flesh off your face piece by piece, do you think Su Jian will still like you?”

With just one sentence, she created a scene that vividly showcased the kind of dark transformation he was looking for.

After finishing the scene, Su Mo bowed to Yuan Hongsheng.

When she looked up, she suddenly heard Yuan Hongsheng call out, “Are you Xiaoxiao?”

Su Mo’s eyelashes fluttered, and she quickly denied it, “No.”

As soon as she said that, she saw a flicker of disappointment in Yuan Hongsheng’s eyes.

However, a moment later, he recovered his usual composure. “Alright, that was good. Emotions were on point, your acting was solid. You’ve got the role of Yu Keyan. What’s your name? Which company are you with?”

Hearing that she had been cast, Su Mo’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Thank you, Director Yuan! My name is Su Mo, and I haven’t signed with a company yet.”

“Ah, just graduated?” Yuan Hongsheng looked her up and down. “Not bad, you’re impressive for someone so young.”

He turned to his assistant behind him and said something, before leading the group outside.

As they walked, he continued, “This girl… she actually resembles Xiaoxiao a bit.”

The people behind him nodded in agreement. “Yes, she does, but Xiaoxiao really let you down after all you did for her. Director Yuan, you should stop thinking about her.”

Yuan Hongsheng gently shook his head. What did the shake mean? Probably only he knew.

Su Mo bowed deeply once again in the direction where Yuan Hongsheng had left.

Liu Xiaoxiao’s name had once been famous in the entertainment industry, but it was now more infamous. From being widely criticized, she had long since faded into obscurity. Now, if anyone still remembered her, it would probably be the people from the Liu family or Director Yuan.

“Miss Su, congratulations.”

Yuan Hongsheng’s assistant handed her a script. “Here’s the full script of the movie. You can take it home and study it. Since you don’t have an agent, I’ll need to contact you directly for the contract. Please leave me your contact information.”

“Thank you.” Su Mo quickly handed over her business card. “Sorry to trouble you.”

She paused for a moment, then hesitated before looking at the assistant. “Um, I have a small request.”

“Go ahead.”

“Could I ask how much the signing fee would be if I were to play the second female lead?”

The assistant’s expression changed. It was the first time someone had asked about the signing fee so directly.

“This movie… I think you shouldn’t worry too much about the signing fee. After all, you just graduated, and most of the people who come to audition for Director Yuan’s films aren’t here for the signing fee.”

“You should know, as long as you work with Director Yuan on this film, your career in the entertainment industry will be set.” The assistant, thinking Su Mo didn’t understand, patiently explained.

Su Mo forced a smile, “I know, I just… I just wanted to ask.”

“I’m not sure about the signing fee. It ultimately depends on the total budget of the film,” the assistant replied.

Su Mo habitually bit her lip.

“Well, could I get an advance on the signing fee? When I officially sign the contract, you can deduct it from my fee. If the signing fee isn’t enough, I can gradually pay the crew back. Would that be possible?”

The assistant was surprised. An advance on the signing fee? That was indeed an unusual request.

“Sorry, Miss Su, it’s not that I’m unwilling to give you an advance, but the film’s budget isn’t something I can control. I’m afraid I can’t help you with this,” the assistant said.

After hearing his apology, Su Mo’s hope began to crumble. Indeed, the budget of a film was something an assistant couldn’t decide.

What should she do now? Should she go straight to Director Yuan?

Just as Su Mo was hesitating whether to find Yuan Hongsheng, he unexpectedly returned, with his group of staff in tow.

But this time, it was different. Earlier, he had been the center of attention, but now, the focus was on someone else. It seemed Yuan Hongsheng had hurriedly left earlier to pick up this man.

The man was dressed in a dark suit, with a coat draped over his shoulders. He had one hand in his pocket, and Yuan Hongsheng was talking to him with great respect and a serious expression. The man nodded occasionally, his casual demeanor contrasting sharply with his noble and extraordinary presence. Every gesture of his radiated calm and confidence.

Su Mo couldn’t help but feel slightly dazed as she looked at him.

Someone had once described a man as “cloud-like and distant, as pure as spring water.” She used to think such descriptions were exaggerated, wondering if there really existed such a perfect man.

But now, as she looked at him, she felt the description was perfectly fitting. This man, so distant and pure, yet carrying an air of gravitas.

What kind of man was he? Mature and steady? Or cold and aloof?

As Su Mo was lost in her thoughts, Lu Qingze seemed to sense her gaze, lifting his head and looking directly at her.

Author Notes:

Oh yeah~ The official meeting has begun! The road to winning over Lu Xiaoshushu has officially started!