The next day, Lu Youze got up early again. Except for the staff who came to set up the set, he was the first one to arrive. Although Gu Xuanze also wanted to accompany him, his scenes were at another set, so after a passionate good morning kiss, he had to temporarily say goodbye to Lu Youze. Even though they would meet again in the evening, he acted as if they were parting for ten days or half a month. His exaggerated reaction was completely out of character for the cold, domineering CEO in the eyes of others, making Lu Youze both amused and helpless.

Although Lu Youze only had two scenes today, they weren’t major ones, so they were filmed early. The staff was still preparing, and Lu Youze casually found a spot to sit down. Instead of reviewing the script, he closed his eyes to rest. Although he had a relatively good rest the night before, his waist was still sore, and he occasionally rubbed it with his hand.

Half an hour later, the staff began arriving one after another. The way they looked at Lu Youze was filled with ambiguity, and those who missed out on giving their blessings last night made sure to catch up today.

“Brother Lu, congratulations,” one of them said. After everyone else had wished him well, only Lin Jun was left by Lu Youze’s side. Lin Jun walked over at that moment, smiling and offering his congratulations. He secretly sized up Lu Youze and said with envy, “Brother Lu, as expected of the Best Actor. Even Gu Xuanze, the ruthless business tycoon, has been won over by you. You really make us younger ones envy you.”

“Hahaha.” Lu Youze could already smell the sourness in the air. He laughed it off, not taking Lin Jun’s sarcastic tone to heart. “Lin Jun, you’re getting it all wrong. It’s not that I’m amazing, but rather, Gu Xuanze is impressive. He managed to make me, a big movie star, genuinely like him.”

Lin Jun’s expression stiffened. “Brother Lu, don’t joke with me.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can ask Aze,” Lu Youze half-closed his eyes and smiled.

Lin Jun hurriedly laughed along, “You’re right, Brother Lu. You and President Gu are indeed a perfect match. I’ll go prepare over there. Please look after me in our scene together later.”

Lu Youze gave a pleasant smile. “I will.”

Lin Jun didn’t get the advantage here, so he left with his head down.

“Cut!!!” Director Wu Liyi shouted, already the fifteenth time he had called for a stop this morning. Most of the morning had been wasted on this not-so-important scene. As the time passed, the sun was high in the sky, and the scorching heat made people even more irritable. Director Wu Liyi’s patience had long worn thin. He walked over to Lin Jun, scolding him mercilessly, “Lin Jun, if you don’t want to act, then leave. Don’t waste everyone’s time here.”

It wasn’t entirely Wu Liyi’s fault that his patience was running out. Initially, he hadn’t planned to waste too much time on this unimportant scene. According to his schedule, they should have finished early and moved on to the next scene. But Lin Jun, for some unknown reason, was messing up everything, from positioning to eye contact and expression management. It was as if he suddenly forgot how to act. A simple shot had already been retaken more than ten times.

“Director, I’m really sorry,” Lin Jun quickly apologized. “I promise this is the last time.”

“Don’t apologize to me, Lin Jun. I don’t need your useless apology.” Wu Liyi wasn’t going to show Lin Jun any mercy. “Look at what you’ve filmed. You don’t even know how to smile properly anymore? You call that a smile? You think when you see someone you like, you smile like that? Do you think I’m a three-year-old, or are you trying to make the audience look stupid?”

“Director Wu, please calm down. You’re scaring Lin Jun. He’s still the best supporting actor of last year. His acting is fine, he’s probably just not in the right state today. Let him adjust outside for a bit.” Lu Youze smiled and tried to smooth things over for Lin Jun.

Wu Liyi glanced at Lu Youze and saw through his intentions. This usually serious man in work mode only furrowed his brows but didn’t say much. He just snorted coldly and stepped back a couple of steps.

Seeing this, Lu Youze let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, what he feared most during “this scene” was Wu Liyi not cooperating.

From the perspective of the staff, Lu Youze’s performance in the scene was flawless. He was dragged down by Lin Jun. Despite this, Lu Youze kept his cool, cooperated with the repeated takes, and didn’t complain. In fact, he even spoke up for Lin Jun, gaining the favor of the crew and making them feel that it was unfair for the biggest star on set to not waste time, while Lin Jun, a supporting actor, kept everyone in the heat for nothing.

What the staff didn’t know was that, during the scene with Lin Jun, Lu Youze had been fully focused. Yesterday, Lin Jun had treated Lu Youze poorly, and today, the Best Actor returned the favor tenfold. He had showcased his acting at its best, effortlessly commanding the scene from the start and dominating the young actor. Without leaving a trace, Lu Youze had interrupted Lin Jun’s rhythm, and for a novice actor like Lin Jun, who was trying to show off a little acting, once the rhythm was disrupted by a seasoned veteran, everything fell apart. Even the simplest control over expressions became impossible.

When Lin Jun saw Lu Youze helping him out, he wasn’t grateful. In fact, he shot a resentful look at Lu Youze but quickly retracted it, fearing the other’s reaction, and forced a smile. “Brother Lu, I’m really sorry for making you suffer along with me.”

“It’s fine.” Lu Youze patted Lin Jun on the shoulder, looking like a friendly senior. He smiled and added, “Yesterday, Youxi also caused you some trouble. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, just act like you usually do.”

Lu Youze’s words were so tactful that others would only praise his good nature, but to Lin Jun, it felt like an insult. His face turned pale, but out of respect for Lu Youze’s status, he had to maintain his smile. During their scene together, Lin Jun had felt that Lu Youze was purposely targeting him. He initially thought he was being paranoid, but now, Lu Youze’s words confirmed his suspicion. This was Lu Youze’s way of getting back at him for what he did to Lu Youxi yesterday.

Lin Jun was seething with anger but couldn’t express it. After all, Lu Youze wasn’t only a Best Actor but also Gu Xuanze’s partner, someone he couldn’t afford to offend.

Lin Jun shot another glance at Lu Youze, trying to hide his feelings, but his jealousy and resentment were still visible. In the past few months, Lu Youze had almost fallen out of the spotlight, only to reconnect with Gu Xuanze, the CEO of the Gu Corporation. If Senior Qi Yao was still around, he wouldn’t have to suffer this humiliation.

Director Wu Liyi noticed the change in Lin Jun’s eyes. He sneered, seeing the young actor’s attitude toward Lu Youze. Lin Jun had no idea who he was dealing with. No wonder Lu Youze had dominated him in their scene.

Lu Youze saw all of this too. Just as he was about to say something, Ye You’s phone call came in. Lu Youze’s expression changed. After greeting Wu Liyi, he moved aside to take the call.

Ye You, knowing that Lu Youze was busy filming, didn’t waste time with pleasantries. He told him that the task he had assigned was complete and that they needed to meet to hand over the items.

Lu Youze was surprised by how quickly Ye You acted. No wonder Ye You was the next heir of the Ye family—his information network was indeed as impressive as the rumors said. Realizing this, Lu Youze was even more grateful that Ye You was his fan. He would cherish this advantage and work even harder in his acting, making sure Ye You would continue to be his fan.

Lu Youze wanted to get the items from Ye You as soon as possible, so he could confirm if his suspicions were correct. Although he had already mentally prepared for what might be coming.

“I have only one scene today. You can come to the hotel to meet me in half an hour,” Lu Youze told Ye You on the phone. Gu Xuanze had his scenes at another set today, so he wouldn’t be able to leave until later in the evening. This was the perfect opportunity for Lu Youze to meet with Ye You and maybe even plan how to face Gu Xuanze if his suspicions turned out to be true.