The colorful lights flickered in his eyes.

In that instant, Ning Xiaoyu truly felt as if she could see starlight shimmering in Lu Jingdu’s eyes.

【Awwww, adorable, super adorable!】

【I recorded it! That ‘meow’ from the salted fish queen was so cute I can’t handle it!】

【Big Sister, please do it again. Craving.jpg】

Ning Xiaoyu felt a bit dizzy. When she first tasted that glass of drink she had earlier, it was just sour and astringent, nothing more. But after a while, it gradually went to her head.

But she wasn’t completely drunk, and her consciousness remained relatively clear.

Ning Xiaoyu knew exactly what she had done.

It was just a simple ‘meow.’

At most, it counted as acting cute— not a big deal.

Her expression even looked quite normal.

But with that deadpan salted fish face, paired with a soft ‘meow’ from her lips, the contrast was precisely what made the others feel it was overwhelmingly adorable.

Rubbing her temples, Ning Xiaoyu quickly turned and left the dance floor. Upon seeing this, Lu Jingdu also left shortly afterward.

“Big Sister, are you upset?”

Ning Xiaoyu replied plainly, “No.”

She truly wasn’t upset.

On the contrary, after dancing for a while, the frustration in her heart had already completely dispersed.

She returned to the bar and ordered a glass of lemon water for herself.

As she sipped the lemon water, she watched the other guests dancing in the distance.

After a few sour gulps, her mind cleared up quite a bit.

The love system sounded regretful, 〖None of them dance as well as the movie king! Girl, why didn’t you dance a little longer just now? You two were definitely the brightest stars on the floor!〗

When Ning Xiaoyu and Lu Jingdu had been dancing earlier, the other guests felt a bit restrained, and understandably so. After all, they were celebrities too, and they cared about appearances. None of them wanted to be completely outshone by the two.

Only when the two of them left did the rest of the guests start to loosen up a little.

Ning Xiaoyu didn’t respond to the system. She had danced enough, so naturally, she came over to rest.

The guests continued dancing with enthusiasm. By the time Ning Xiaoyu finished her fourth glass of lemon water, Shen Yueyue and the others finally walked over, still looking reluctant to leave the dance floor.

Shen Yueyue ordered a glass of lemon water as well. After a few quick gulps, she asked Ning Xiaoyu, who was next to her, “Should we head to the next place later?”

Ning Xiaoyu casually said, “Whatever.”

The two of them went to the restroom together, and as they came out, Shen Yueyue asked with a puzzled expression, “Where’s the movie king? I haven’t seen him for a while.”

Ning Xiaoyu had no idea either. She casually replied, “Maybe he went to the restroom.”

The love system roared, 〖Girl! The movie king left a long time ago! Don’t tell me you didn’t even notice?〗

Ning Xiaoyu: “……”

Honestly, she really hadn’t noticed.

〖He left as soon as you started your second glass of lemon water! Girl, you don’t care about him at all!〗

Ning Xiaoyu responded with an “Oh.”

He was the movie king after all— a busy man. Leaving early was nothing unusual. When he first joined this variety show, he barely even showed up. Compared to that, he was much more active now.

Even the director didn’t push him much, let alone the others.

Liu Shuyi took the initiative and suggested, “Why don’t we go to Feng Mountain for dinner and enjoy the snow scenery while we’re at it?”

As she spoke, she looked at Ning Xiaoyu and asked, “Teacher Ning, what do you think?”

Ning Xiaoyu didn’t care where they went, so she simply replied, “I’ll go along with the team.”

Xi Rui and Shen Yueyue discussed for a moment and agreed that Feng Mountain sounded nice.

Just like that, the group decided to head there.

Liu Shuyi lifted her chin slightly. “Oh, by the way, a friend of mine will be joining us later.”

Ning Yuwei had returned by then. Upon hearing that, she teased, “Boyfriend?”

Liu Shuyi quickly waved her hands. “No, no, just a close big brother, don’t misunderstand.”

Ning Yuwei dragged out her tone. “Ohhh, a big brother, huh.”

As the group prepared to leave the bar, the movie king still hadn’t returned.

Shen Yueyue pressed her lips together and glanced at Ning Xiaoyu before asking again, “Our team’s movie king still isn’t back. Should we wait a bit longer?”

Ning Yuwei bit her lip hard.

If Lu Jingdu wasn’t there, what was he doing?

A nearby staff member overheard the question and said with a smile, “Oh, the movie king? He’s already waiting for you all outside.”

Already outside?

The group bustled out in a flurry.

They chatted and laughed as they walked, but as soon as they stepped outside, they suddenly fell silent as if they had seen something unbelievable. Their footsteps also halted.

Shi Chao asked, “Xi Rui, what’s wrong? Why did you suddenly stop?”

Xi Rui stared blankly for a few seconds before she came back to her senses. “Oh, that…… that!”

She instinctively stepped aside, leaving just enough space for Ning Xiaoyu to pass through.

Ning Xiaoyu walked forward slowly.

She lifted her head, wanting to check the surroundings.

And in the very next second, she saw Lu Jingdu who was standing quietly in front of a Rolls-Royce, holding a black umbrella in the wind and snow.

Just like every time before, the love system’s shrill scream rang out right on cue.

〖Aaaaahhhh!〗

As evening approached, Lu Jingdu had changed into a different outfit.

His once flamboyant platinum-blond hair was now a deep shade of black-purple. The impractical jacket had been swapped for the classic CEO-style three-piece suit. Over it all, he wore a long black overcoat.

A pair of gold-rimmed glasses now adorned his face.

The cold detachment in his eyes was now entirely hidden behind those glasses.

Refined and elegant, with a reserved abstinence that carried just a hint of dangerous allure.

【Only one phrase comes to mind: refined scoundrel.】

【Really want to peel off that suit of his.】

【The movie king hasn’t taken roles like this before. This kind of persona— he’s never tried it until now!】

And the audience was absolutely right.

Lu Jingdu had always starred in male lead roles.

He had taken on Republican-era films, spy war dramas, cultivation films, interstellar sci-fi, and had even gone to Hollywood to play an esper.

But there was one genre he had never touched— idol dramas.

Nor had he ever played a domineering CEO.

His career fans^[1]focused primarily on an idol’s career development rather than their personal life, appearance, or romantic relationships never imagined that, after watching his entire body of work, the very genres he had never stepped into would be revealed in such a variety show.

What could they even say?

They were nothing but shocked. Completely shocked.

────ρя


Snow fell in flurries.

By nightfall, it had grown even heavier than it had been in the afternoon.

The world was blanketed in pure white.

Before Ning Xiaoyu could react, a black umbrella had already been opened above her head, shielding her completely from the cold snowflakes.

She looked up instinctively and saw Lu Jingdu standing beneath the umbrella.

It was only at this close distance that she noticed beneath his thin golden wire-rimmed glasses, near the corner of his eye, there was a rouge-colored beauty mark.

It was small, yet added a touch of sultry allure to his otherwise ascetic face.

In short, the Lu Jingdu standing before her now still doesn’t resemble the aloof movie king.

He was still the same person.

But different.

Completely different.

The love system chirped sweetly, 〖Girl, now you feel it, don’t you? This is the charm of the movie king.〗

No matter what kind of persona Ning Xiaoyu liked, Lu Jingdu could always surprise her.

He could do it better than anyone else.

So she would never grow tired of him.

The warm-toned lighting fell on Lu Jingdu, casting a glow over his rich black-purple hair and enhancing its unique charm.

Black was too ordinary.

Platinum-blond was too flamboyant.

But this shade of black-purple suited his current look perfectly.

It was steady, without being dull.

The corners of Lu Jingdu’s lips lifted slightly. When he spoke again, it was no longer the clear and refreshing tone of the afternoon, but a low, sexy voice with a bubbling allure that could easily mesmerize.

“Where to?”

【Ahhh, I’m in love with this voice! I’ve completely fallen for him!】

【So the movie king isn’t just a master of roles, he’s a voice actor too?】

【All-rounder movie king, seducing us live.】

【Though it might not be about seduction. Maybe he just wants to give Xiao Yu some face? That new girl on the side had been hyped way too much. ‘Sea queen^[2]a woman who keeps many romantic interests or suitors ‘in rotation’— charming them, texting multiple people at once, and not committing to any one person. It suggests she’s the … Continue reading’ is one thing— there are plenty of those— but even among them, there are levels. And clearly, this one is a high-tier sea queen. The fish in her sea are all premium quality. Given that, it wouldn’t be strange if the movie king wanted to help Xiao Yu reclaim a bit of presence.】

【Yeah, I think he’s just helping Xiao Yu save face.】

No one could guess what Lu Jingdu was truly thinking.

But for the audience watching the livestream today, it had been an absolute feast.

In less than a day, they had already seen Lu Jingdu in three completely different looks.

Three personas, each with their own charm.

Some loved the gentle Kdrama male lead. Some preferred the bold college guy.

But no one could deny the universal appeal of the domineering CEO.

Who didn’t love that refined dominance reserved only for you?

When asked the question, Ning Xiaoyu gave the answer they had discussed earlier, “Feng Mountain.”

That impossibly seductive, bubbly voice sounded again.

“Let’s go, Xiao Yu.”

Ning Xiaoyu didn’t forget to call her friend.

“Yueyue, come with us.”

Shen Yueyue glanced at the movie king deliberately. “Um, is that okay?”

In the afternoon, the sports car only had two seats, so they went to the German restaurant with the crew.

But the Rolls-Royce they had now could actually fit them.

Lu Jingdu gave a small nod. “It’s fine.”

As they walked toward the car, Lu Jingdu kept his umbrella tilted toward Ning Xiaoyu.

Not a single snowflake landed on her.

Shen Yueyue headed to the back seat while happily shipping the pair.

In the afternoon, it had been a typical rich college guy setup with a flashy sports car.

By evening, it had become the classic black luxury car of a domineering CEO.

Ordinary people couldn’t pull off such a transformation.

Only Lu Jingdu could match every need Ning Xiaoyu might have.

Hadn’t Liu Shuyi just brought up her ‘big brother’?

Well, now Ning Xiaoyu’s ‘big brother’ had shown up too.

It wasn’t like Liu Shuyi was the only one with a big brother, right?

【The movie king really knows what he’s doing.】

【So jealous.】

As soon as Ning Xiaoyu got in the car, a wave of warm air embraced her.

Inside was cozy, completely isolating them from the snow and wind outside.

While Shen Yueyue and Xi Rui were quietly marveling at the movie king’s thoughtfulness, Liu Shuyi was glaring at Pei Yi and Pei Xin with a sour expression.

“Where’s your car?”

Pei Yi and Pei Xin looked totally innocent.

How could they have thought of bringing a car over?

Pei Yi offered, “Should we ask Brother Gu to send a car?”

‘Brother Gu’ was the person Liu Shuyi mentioned they’d be meeting soon.

He was the one who always accompanied her to plays, concerts, clubs, and on various trips abroad.

Liu Shuyi took a deep breath. “Forget it.” By the time Brother Gu sent a car, Ning Xiaoyu and the others would already be at Feng Shan!