The girl stood in the wind, her thin clothes barely enough to shield her from the cold. Her cheeks and nose were already bright red from the chill.

Originally, she was already quite thin, but now, without the thick down jacket, she appeared even more fragile, making one’s heart ache. Lu Qingze’s brows furrowed slightly, though it was barely noticeable.

“What’s going on?” the assistant director quickly stepped forward to ask.

Su Mo startled and hurriedly averted her gaze, but it felt as though the man’s eyes had been fixed on her the entire time, making her feel unsure where to direct her gaze.

The assistant’s expression was conflicted. “Director Yuan, Miss Su here says she wants to advance part of her signing fee.”

After the assistant spoke, the whole room fell silent for at least five seconds.

An advance on the signing fee? This was unheard of in the industry, especially not in this film set. Yuan Hongsheng’s crew, even without offering a signing fee, had more than enough people eager to join.

Now, here was someone asking for an advance?

The crew members exchanged odd looks, staring at Su Mo like she was some kind of monster.

But Su Mo didn’t seem to notice their stares. Instead, her gaze remained fixed on Yuan Hongsheng, hoping he would show her some leniency.

“Director Yuan, you’ve already said that I passed the audition, so this money would count as my pay. If you don’t trust me, I can leave a document as collateral.”

Yuan Hongsheng, having been a director his entire life, had never encountered such a situation before.

To be honest, accepting her had already been an exception, especially since the audition hadn’t even started yet. She had suddenly appeared and interrupted his plans, breaking the rules.

However, her acting was excellent, and her appearance was perfect for the role. He would feel guilty not giving her a chance, which was why he’d made the exception.

But now, she was asking for an advance.

Yuan Hongsheng shook his head lightly. “I’m afraid this won’t be possible.”

He could tell that Su Mo was in some kind of trouble; otherwise, she wouldn’t be so eager to get the money.

But the film hadn’t started shooting yet, and it was still in the preparation stages. The investors hadn’t provided the funds, so the budget was tight, and there was no extra money to advance for her signing fee.

Su Mo’s hope instantly faded. Her already pale face turned even whiter, and her once-pink lips now looked slightly pale as well.

The last bit of hope she had been holding on to was extinguished, and the world around her seemed to turn gray.

“Well, I won’t bother you any longer, Director Yuan.”

She didn’t press the issue. After Yuan Hongsheng’s refusal, she remained polite, bowing to him again and then walking down the stairs. Her back was straight, and she didn’t seem embarrassed by the rejection.

The phrase “grace under pressure” truly described her in this moment, despite her situation being extremely difficult.

This made Yuan Hongsheng frown once more, feeling an unexpected pang of sympathy for her.

He was considering whether he should dip into his own pockets to help her when someone suddenly spoke up.

“How much do you need?”

“150,000.” Su Mo instinctively answered, but only after she spoke did she realize that the person asking wasn’t Yuan Hongsheng, but the man he had just gone to greet.

She looked up, confused, at him.

Lu Qingze nodded slightly at Lu Hua, who understood and quickly wrote a check. He then stepped forward and handed it to Su Mo.

Su Mo was stunned. She hadn’t expected to actually receive the money. She took the check after a two-second pause.

“Thank you! Thank you so much! Please leave me a contact number. When I have the money, I’ll pay you back.”

Lu Hua handed her the check and then stepped back.

Whether or not she would leave her contact details wasn’t his decision.

After Lu Hua returned to Lu Qingze’s side, Lu Qingze slowly started to ascend the stairs. When he reached the top, he stopped in front of Su Mo and extended his hand.

“Give me your phone.”

“Oh.” Su Mo quickly took out her phone and handed it to him.

After Lu Qingze typed in a string of numbers on her phone, he returned it to her. “This is my number.”

“Thank you.” Su Mo took her phone back and thanked him again.

Lu Qingze nodded slightly at her and then led the group into the conference center.

However, as they reached the door, he suddenly stopped again, bent down, and picked up the down jacket that Su Mo had discarded. He shook the dust off and handed it to her.

“It’s cold. You should put your jacket back on.”

His tone was neutral, but Su Mo felt as though it was a command she couldn’t disobey. Without thinking, she mechanically took the jacket from him and obediently put it back on.

After she had put the jacket on, Lu Qingze’s previously cold, piercing gaze softened slightly. “Girls should learn to take care of themselves.”

Su Mo responded in the same mechanical way, nodding.

Only then did Lu Qingze seem satisfied and stepped into the conference center.

The people left outside were all stunned.

Wasn’t Mr. Lu known for being cold and distant? How come he seemed completely different now?

Although Lu Hua had witnessed Lu Qingze’s special treatment of her the previous evening, he too was surprised by what he had just seen. Lending money to this girl made sense, as 150,000 wasn’t much for Mr. Lu.

But Mr. Lu had given her his private number? And just now, he even picked up her jacket for her?

Before entering, he glanced at Su Mo again. She was pretty, sure, and had a good aura, but what else made her so special?

After a brief moment of confusion, the group finally followed Lu Qingze into the conference center, but not before all of them shot curious glances at Su Mo.

Su Mo, however, wasn’t paying attention to them. She clutched the check tightly, wrapped the jacket around her, and quickly descended the stairs.

First, she needed to deposit the check at the bank. Then, she hurried to the hospital.

“Hello, I’m here to pay for Su Ailian’s surgery.”

The cashier looked up at Su Mo and smirked slightly, her lips curling with a touch of sarcasm.

“Managed to scrape up enough for the surgery fee? Not going for the installment plan anymore?”

Her tone was clearly mocking, and anyone would find it uncomfortable to hear.

But Su Mo didn’t react to her words at all. She silently handed over her card.

There was no point in arguing with someone like her. There was no use in wasting time for the sake of a fleeting exchange of words. It was better to finish quickly so that Granny could be taken to surgery as soon as possible.

Seeing Su Mo remain silent, the cashier simply shut her mouth in boredom.

Once the payment was made and Su Mo received the receipt, she quickly rushed upstairs.

“Doctor, the surgery fee is paid. Please arrange the surgery for Su Ailian as soon as possible.”

Though the doctor had said some harsh things earlier, he was still responsible in his work.

After making the necessary arrangements, Su Ailian was finally sent into the operating room.