The half-drunk milk tea had spilled all over the floor and light yellow pearls scattered everywhere. After Sister Long regained her composure, she didn’t pay any attention to the mess on the ground. She only fixed her intense gaze on Meng Zhen.

“Zhenzhen, I’ll ask the director later if we can post a few unedited photos online. You’ve been filming these past few days and haven’t updated your Weibo. By the time the movie is released, your fans might have moved on. Posting a few photos to show your face would be good.”

Thinking of the fans who were eagerly clamoring online, Meng Zhen’s clear eyes softened considerably. She liked the sincere Hazelnuts and hoped to repay them with the best work. However, she realized it had been half a month since she last updated her Weibo, which was indeed absurd.

Sister Long was always busting with energy, and whatever she thought of, she would immediately put into action. At this moment, she grabbed Meng Zhen by the wrist and led her out of the dressing room.

Gu Ting was already standing on the set. When he heard the commotion, he turned around and immediately saw Meng Zhen in a dark green silk robe. His eyes darkened slightly as he listened to Sister Long talking to Cao Lei.

“Director, let’s release a few unedited photos for promotion. Those stills you’ve been holding back aren’t serving their purpose!”

Even though Cao Lei had seen many beauties, he couldn’t help but glance at Meng Zhen a few more times. He understood that Sister Long had a point, and after hesitating for a moment, he nodded in agreement.

“We need to pick a good day to release the official stills all at once. For now, just post a couple of Meng Zhen’s photos and have the official account acknowledge them.”

Sister Long had been waiting for that. As an experienced stylist, her aesthetic and composition skills were top-notch. She had Meng Zhen sit in front of the dressing table and snapped dozens of photos with her phone. After selecting her favorite ones, she handed them directly to Xin Xin without any retouching or filters.

“Take a look. How is it?”

Working in the entertainment company for so long had turned Xin Xin into a star chasing-girl. She looked at the young woman in the photos with snow-white skin like peeled lychee, black hair like fluffy and soft clouds, and red vibrant lips. Yet it was her clear gaze that particularly stood out, devoid of any hint of playfulness or frivolity.

Xin Xin’s fingertips trembled as she held the phone, her face flushed red. After hesitating for a while, she finally managed to say, “These photos are so beautiful! I haven’t studied much, so I don’t know how to describe it.”

Meng Zhen didn’t expect the silly girl to say such a thing. Unable to hold back, she laughed, her almond-shaped eyes causing Xin Xin’s entire neck to turn red.

Sister Long carefully selected a few photos and found them all quite good. She decided to log into her own account and directly posted a nine-grid collage, with the caption, 【Beauty is like a flower in the clouds.】

Most stylists in the industry typically have around twenty to thirty thousand followers, with the majority being star-chasing girls. When they stumbled upon this post, they were all stunned. Some recognized Meng Zhen but hadn’t expected her modern attire to be so strikingly beautiful as well, yet completely different from her previous appearance in a qipao. Many more netizens didn’t know Meng Zhen, this small star, but humans’ appreciation for beauty was common. This prompted them to share and like the post, quickly propelling it to the trending section.

The president of Meng Zhen’s fan club was busy drawing chibi-style cartoons of her idol. The little Meng Zhen looked like a block of tofu— soft and adorable. However, before she could finish coloring, her phone began vibrating non-stop.

She released the mouse and glanced over, noticing hundreds of new messages in the fan group. The fan club president furrowed her brows, clicked directly into the chat, and was greeted by a screen full of 【Aaaaahhh!】

Initially, the fan club president had some worries, fearing that trolls or haters might be targeting Meng Zhen again. However, after quickly scanning the group’s messages, she felt considerably relieved. Following a link shared by a group member, she navigated to Weibo and, upon seeing Sister Long’s post, her heart began to race uncontrollably.

The comment section below was already dominated by fans.

【Goodness, my wife is a peerless beauty! I’m dead, I’m dead!】

【Sister is using beauty to slay me. Is this a raw photo? There seems to be no trace of editing. I really want to see Sister in person.】

【I want to see her too, but Zhenzhen has such little exposure and updates so infrequently. She’s forgotten there are still loyal fans like us waiting eagerly. Please, ask her to open for business quickly, and start endorsing and promoting. I want to be taken advantage of, so can I?】

Apart from fans admiring and praising enthusiastically, there were also quite a few haters trying to gain attention. However, their comments were quickly buried and had no impact.

About half an hour later, the official account of 《The Icon’s New Clothes》 shared the post. Only then did the fans realize that these photos were actually Meng Zhen’s appearance in the new movie. No wonder there were nine photos released in a row.

The fan club president scrolled through the comments while eating the nut-flavored yogurt endorsed by Meng Zhen. She had no idea when her idol’s latest work would finally be released. The wait was so agonizing.

———pr

After Sister Long finished posting on Weibo, Cao Lei wasted no time. Once the crew members were in position, he grabbed a megaphone and shouted “Action!” His eyes didn’t leave the monitor for a second.

Meng Zhen sat on the pristine white bed, clutching the room keycard in her hand. Occasionally, she would cast her gaze toward the direction of the next room, her face alternating between pale and slightly flushed. After a long while, she finally stood up and walked out, still wearing the robe.

The camera advanced steadily, with several angles changing continuously. Meng Zhen stood in front of the other door, raising her hand to knock lightly twice. Soon after, someone opened it from inside.

Gu Ting was dressed in a well-tailored shirt and trousers, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his prominent nose. He appeared to be working.

Although young, the company’s CEO had high emotional intelligence. With just one glance, he saw through Shi Yuwei’s intentions. His ink-black eyebrows raised slightly, and his black eyes held undisguised disdain and disgust.

“Boss, ever since I first saw you, I’ve liked you. Can you give me a chance?”

Meng Zhen deliberately adopted a soft and timid expression, moving forward almost imperceptibly. She closed the distance between herself and Gu Ting, and a hint of minty fragrance subtly wafted into her nose, momentarily catching her off guard. However, Meng Zhen, experienced in acting, quickly regained her composure in the blink of an eye. Standing on tiptoe, she delicately wrapped her slender arms around the man’s neck, as if about to kiss him.

According to the plot, the CEO was supposed to be extremely disgusted by Shi Yuwei’s actions and push her to the ground. But now, for some reason, Meng Zhen’s lips were almost about to touch Gu Ting’s chin, yet he still made no move.

Meng Zhen felt something was amiss internally, but her expression remained unchanged. Fortunately, Gu Ting quickly reacted, gripping her wrist tightly and forcefully pushing her away.

Meng Zhen fell to the ground in response, her almond eyes filled with a deep sense of grievance. Yet the man before her had a heart of stone, showing no signs of pity whatsoever.

“Boss, why are you treating me like this?”

Her face turned pale, tears started falling like beads off a broken string, appearing both disheveled and pitiful. However, the young CEO remained unmoved, his voice chillingly firm, “You’re fired.”

“Cut!” Cao Lei’s voice came through the megaphone, and Meng Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. But before she could stand up from the ground, Gu Ting reached out his hand towards her.

Meng Zhen had long known Gu Ting to be a gentleman, so she didn’t think much of it. She confidently took his hand and stood up gracefully.

“Did I hurt you when I pushed you just now?”

The hotel corridor was heavily carpeted to block out noise. Even if Meng Zhen had taken a real fall, not just acting with Gu Ting, it wouldn’t have hurt much.

Meng Zhen shook her head and walked over to the screen where footage of her recent shoot was playing. It showed her hooking her arm around the man’s neck in a very ambiguous pose.

Cao Lei had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, but out of consideration for the presence of female colleagues, he didn’t light it. Instead, he rubbed the cigarette end between his fingers.

“This scene is done. Next, Meng Zhen only has one scene left. Our script has been revised. The handsome and wealthy fiancé you were supposed to marry has become an old company director. The male lead will cry uncontrollably at the wedding, and the female lead will comfort him. That’s when their love story truly begins.”

To save costs, the wedding scene wasn’t set in a hotel but in a suburban church. Since it was already late today and not ideal for shooting this scene, Cao Lei gave Meng Zhen some time off to rest to ensure she finished filming in the best condition possible.

Meng Zhen changed into her own clothes in the dressing room and walked out, only to see Gu Ting standing in front of the studio entrance wearing sunglasses.

She approached him with a few steps, her face adorned with a bright smile. “Teacher Gu, thank you for your hard work just now.”

Meng Zhen enjoyed working with talented artists as it allowed her to discover her own shortcomings during filming and improve upon them. Gu Ting, being the youngest movie king, lived up to his reputation not only for his outstanding appearance but also for his excellent control over pacing and rhythm.

“There’s a teahouse nearby. Let’s go have a cup of tea together.”

Many tea houses around the film and television city were invested in by people from the entertainment industry and placed a high value on guests’ privacy. Meng Zhen and Gu Ting chose a semi-private booth, and the waiter lowered the bamboo curtains to shield them from prying eyes.

“The post-production of 《Investiture》 is almost finished, and CCTV has acquired the series as well. I expect the company will notify you about promotional matters by the end of the month.” Gu Ting said, idly playing with the teacup in his left hand. His narrow, dark eyes squinted slightly, exuding an aura that kept others at a distance.

Meng Zhen nodded. If she remembered correctly, although Gu Ting had established his own studio, he was still a shareholder in Anmei Entertainment. Otherwise, Xin Xin wouldn’t have complained to him.

“Teacher Gu, rest assured. I will cooperate well with the company.”

Meng Zhen felt deeply grateful to Anmei Entertainment. At that time, she was burdened with a hefty penalty of five million for breach of contract. If it hadn’t been for Anmei settling this amount for her, she might have lived under the shadow cast by Yunlai Entertainment, becoming a tool for Yu Jing to profit from. Not only would she have been unable to pursue her dreams, but she would also have lost the right to make choices like a puppet obediently following orders.

Thinking about that dark and hopeless time, Meng Zhen furrowed her brow slightly, her complexion turning grim.