Even though Meng Zhen wasn’t very accustomed to current online media, she had still heard of Luo Yang’s fame.

Luo Yang’s songs were incredibly popular, topping the charts with every album release and boasting the highest sales in the country, often outselling the second place by tenfold.

Last year, Luo Yang’s song 《Scenery》 dominated the charts continuously until one day it was surpassed. Many were puzzled until they clicked in to discover that the new song was also written, composed, and sung by Luo Yang himself.

Netizens jokingly said that the only one who could defeat Luo Yang was Luo Yang himself.

This showed just how high his position was in the music industry.

With all this information floating in her mind, Meng Zhen was stunned for a moment before she asked, “Is there something you need, Teacher^[1]commonly used in media and entertainment to respectfully address someone who is knowledgable and has expertise in a certain field Luo?”

Just a while ago, Luo Yang spent half an hour convincing Ma Chao to let Meng Zhen take on the role of the female lead in 《Daffodil》. Now, hearing her soft and clear voice, he felt even more satisfied. He said, “Ms. Meng, are you interested in filming a short film? It won’t take more than a few days, and the pay is 500,000.”

Luo Yang accurately grasped Meng Zhen’s mental process. He knew she had grown up in an orphanage and also understood Yunlai Entertainment’s reputation as a tough negotiator in the industry. Meng Zhen would likely face heavy consequences if she wanted to terminate her contract.

She must need money.

Sure enough, Meng Zhen was tempted upon hearing such a generous offer. Currently sidelined by her company, she needed to pay five million to leave Yunlai. Luo Yang’s offer was indeed generous, leaving her with no reason to refuse.

“Then, thank you, Teacher Luo, for offering me this job opportunity.”

They agreed on the duration, location, and rough content of the shoot. After hanging up the phone, Meng Zhen logged into a software application and found all of Luo Yang’s songs. She spent a day listening to each one. At this point, she had to admit that Luo Yang was indeed talented and capable of mastering any style of music.

Many of today’s popular ancient-style songs often feel somewhat insipid, with errors in lyrics. However, Luo Yang’s songs were completely different. Each song formed a complete little world—— some depict the rivers and lakes, others the courts of dynasties, the frontier with the setting sun, or the gardens with small bridges and flowing streams. They were diverse and plentiful, embodying a carefree and refreshing quality that was very enjoyable.

———pr

Meng Zhen’s meeting with Luo Yang was scheduled for Sunday afternoon. She first dropped off Lei Yin at school and then took a taxi to a tea house located in the city center.

The tea house was named Wangchun Shen^[2]Gazing at Spring, a business invested in by Luo Yang. It was located in a secluded area, known only to acquaintances, so most of its patrons were from the entertainment industry.

Meng Zhen followed the address sent by Luo Yang and arrived at the entrance of the tea house. Just as she took off her mask, a young man in ancient clothing came up to her. “Ms. Meng, Mr. Luo is waiting for you in the private room.”

Meng Zhen followed behind the waiter and entered the ancient and elegant private room.

The handsome man sat on a wooden chair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His slender fingers traced over the teacup, and the moment he saw Meng Zhen, Luo Yang’s eyes instantly lit up with obvious appreciation.

“If I remember correctly, Ms. Meng is from Suzhou. Can you sing in Suzhou dialect?”

This was Meng Zhen’s first meeting with Luo Yang and he made such a request right away. Meng Zhen found it odd but decided not to refuse. After all, the one paying the money was the boss, and she couldn’t afford to offend her benefactor.

She took a sip of tea to moisten her throat, then sang a rendition of 《Rain in the Misty Jiangnan》.

“Rain in the misty Jiangnan

Dancing light veils in the wind

Swaying in the shower of apricot blossoms……”

In her previous life, Meng Zhen had worked as a singing girl for several years. Her voice was quite good, and this body was almost the same as her original one. Its tone was clear and soft, and when singing in the soft speech of the Wu people, it could truly touch the depths of people’s hearts.

Luo Yang listened with closed eyes. Suddenly, the door to the private room was pushed open from outside, and a tall, slender man walked in. His features were deep-set, with a slightly Western-like appearance. It was precisely Luo Yang’s manager, Ma Chao.

Seeing his artist’s displeased expression, Ma Chao chuckled and unapologetically said, “Sorry for interrupting your artistic exchange. But I have good news for you. The set in Qianzhou has been completed. Once you’ve sorted out the cooperation details, we can hurry over, shoot the short film quickly, and get it edited for release.”

The company’s senior management, afraid to pressure Luo Yang directly, started calling Ma Chao incessantly, almost driving him crazy. They hoped King Luo could understand and sympathize with his poor manager. Meng Zhen was his own choice, and even if the filming of the short film didn’t meet expectations, they couldn’t afford any more delays.

Luo Yang reached out and pushed the contract on the table towards Meng Zhen, saying in a mild tone, “Ms. Meng, take a look at the contract. If there are no issues, let’s sign it quickly to prevent my manager from being driven to the edge.”

Ma Chao rolled his eyes.

The contract had been drafted by the company’s legal team at his request, but under someone’s coercion, its clauses heavily favored Meng Zhen. After all, this girl had been through a rough time. First getting criticized across the internet and then being sidelined by Yunlai Entertainment. Ma Chao couldn’t exploit her.

Meng Zhen opened the contract and read it through. Back when she was a movie queen, she had self-studied some civil and commercial law. Now, despite the difference in era, the fundamental principles of law hadn’t changed much. After checking it over and confirming there were no issues, she signed her name.

“I’ll have Director Qian Xubing take charge of filming. He’s best at shooting beauties. This short film will definitely astonish everyone and make them remember you.”

Luo Yang’s tone was confident. From the moment he first saw Meng Zhen, he knew he had made the right bet. The girl before him was more vibrant and beautiful than in the video. She seemed like heaven’s most perfect creation, a natural-born fairy. Even in the most ordinary clothes, her radiance couldn’t be hidden.

No one could be more suitable for the role of Daffodil than Meng Zhen.

She currently had no one managing her affairs. She didn’t even have an assistant, let alone a manager to report to. Therefore, Ma Chao took it upon himself to book her flight and hotel, and she joined Luo Yang’s team to head to Qianzhou.

Luo Yang established his own studio, which operated under Anmei Entertainment.

Anmei Entertainment, unlike Yunlai, had a stellar reputation in the industry. Many highly respected veteran artists had emerged from Anmei, known for their integrity and talent. Mentioning them would earn nods of approval from everyone.

With these national-treasure-level artists as role models, people in the industry would praise Anmei Entertainment for its positive atmosphere. Despite Yunlai Entertainment gaining more popularity in recent years due to its large-scale talent shows, the status of the two companies among artists was entirely different.

At that moment, as Meng Zhen and the others were about to go to the boarding gate, a large group of young people suddenly surged in through the entrance. There were probably hundreds of them, pushing toward the security checkpoint while shouting the name of their idol.

Upon hearing the words ‘Yue Yuanzhao’, Meng Zhen’s eyes flashed with a hint of disgust, and her brows furrowed involuntarily.

The first person the other Meng Zhen liked was Yue Yuanzhao, but unfortunately, he was not a good person at all.

When the other Meng Zhen faced online criticism and attacks, Yue Yuanzhao sought to capitalize on the controversy by publicly disparaging her on Weibo, claiming to despise actors and actresses who like playing big names the most.

The reason the other Meng Zhen liked him was that when she was filming a rain scene upon joining the crew of 《Phoenix Arrives in Splendor》, she was also experiencing severe menstrual cramps, making it difficult for her to move. While she curled up in pain, Yue Yuanzhao bought her a cup of hot milk tea. For the other Meng Zhen, who lacked care and attention, Yue Yuanzhao was the kindest person to her at that time.

Little did she know, the nature hidden beneath his gentle and handsome appearance turned out to be so unbearable.

Yue Yuanzhao had previously pursued a career in South Korea and only returned to the country two years ago. However, he didn’t achieve much fame in Korea and his popularity remained lukewarm after returning home. Sometimes he filmed web dramas and variety shows, and in China, he could only be considered a third-line star. Fortunately, his fans were fiercely loyal, which helped maintain his current level of popularity.

Now, it was peak summer vacation season, and there were several times more passengers at the airport than usual. The fans who came to pick up their idol were not very obedient to the security guidance, and chaos broke out shortly.

A three or four-year-old girl stood behind a cart, unnoticed by the fans whose attention had been completely captured by their idol, Yue Yuanzhao. Eager to catch a glimpse of him after hearing he had disembarked from the plane, they surged forward with determination.

Meng Zhen’s eyes widened in alarm and hurried over to scoop the child into her arms. Despite her quick reaction, she was knocked down by a tall male fan.

The little girl in Meng Zhen’s arms was probably frightened, she screamed and cried loudly. She gripped Meng Zhen’s neck tightly with her arms, and tears and mucus smeared all over Meng Zhen’s face mask.

Meng Zhen felt a bit at a loss. She gently patted the little girl’s back as the child’s shoulders shook with sobs. She made whimpering sounds, unable to articulate her grievance.

The male fan who had collided with them glanced back briefly but didn’t say a word of apology before quickly running away. Meng Zhen couldn’t help but pursed her lips in frustration.

About two minutes later, the little girl’s mother emerged from the restroom. Seeing her daughter crying uncontrollably, she was startled. It was Luo Yang who spoke up to explain the situation, and then she understood what had happened.

Meng Zhen handed the child back to her mother and didn’t dare to linger. She hurriedly headed to the boarding gate.

It wasn’t until Meng Zhen sat down on the airplane that she snapped out of her daze. Anmei Entertainment was generous to both staff and artists. This time, she had bought a first-class ticket. Once settled, she put on an eye mask and only woke up when the plane was about to land, with Ma Chao calling her.

“Meng Zhen, Director Qian Xubing has already arrived in Qianzhou. Our schedule is tight and we can’t afford any more delays. Are you okay to start shooting tomorrow?”

Ma Chao had just been scolded by Luo Yang a moment ago, and now his ears were sore, making his winking gesture particularly odd.

Meng Zhen nodded. Since her car accident, it had been a long time since she had acted. Although this time it was just a short film, Qian Xubing was one of the top directors in the country. Meng Zhen was looking forward to collaborating with him and experiencing the differences between 21st-century filming techniques and those of the 20th century.

Perhaps due to using Qibai Gao daily, Meng Zhen’s skin had become noticeably fairer than before. It wasn’t a stiff kind of fairness but a radiant and flawless ivory, as if the soft moonlight had been crushed and sprinkled over her skin.