CH 34

At first, Youyou wasn’t very talkative with Wan Liang since they were not familiar with each other. However, when she noticed Wan Liang’s goodwill, Youyou gradually revealed her true nature.

“Wow, Wan Liang, you’re amazing!”

With an admiring expression, Youyou never hesitated to praise good people. Her clear and pure eyes stared intently at Wan Liang’s performance, shining with admiration and longing.

“If I could do it like that too…”

In that case, Fu Shu would definitely not bully her anymore.

Being pestered by the girl to perform his famous work, in which Wan Liang plays a twisted killer, he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh when he saw Youyou’s fearless expression. He quickly changed his demeanor, transitioning from a repressed and gloomy character to a gentle and refined appearance.

“You can do it if you work hard, Youyou.”

Most people in the entertainment industry are astute observers of others’ words and expressions. So, when Wan Liang realized how pure-hearted Youyou was, he abandoned any testing thoughts and simply explained the acting techniques and analysis of “Dyed in Red” to her. In the end, he concluded that Youyou wasn’t suitable for acting but was the best choice for the role of Dyed in Red.

With a slight smile, Wan Liang kindly suggested, “How about filming Dyed in Red’s scenes today, Youyou?”

For a natural performance, you don’t need acting skills. Wan Liang was actually afraid that this little girl, after spending too long on the set, would lose her natural advantages.

“Ah, but Grandpa told me to practice my acting first,” Youyou said with a distressed expression. “And after watching your performance, I don’t have the confidence to play Dyed in Red.”

After all, she wasn’t the future film empress like Ling Ya.

She pouted and looked pitiful.

Wan Liang and Ji Mo: …

Wan Liang, who was always proud of his acting skills and enjoyed overpowering his opponents on set, and Ji Mo, who had been by Youyou’s side all along, exchanged a glance and realized they couldn’t wait any longer.

“Don’t worry too much. Your role is minimal, and we’ll finish it soon,” Ji Mo reassured her, patting Youyou’s head. “I believe in you, Youyou.”

“Yeah, Youyou is great. Just be yourself. I’ll talk to the director and start shooting Dyed in Red, so the extras and crew can prepare.”

They acted swiftly, not giving Youyou any chance to speak.

Speechless, Youyou watched as Wan Liang walked away briskly. She held the script tightly, and her entire body trembled with fear and nervousness.

Ji Mo felt both heartache and a hint of amusement as he looked at Youyou’s pained expression. He followed the makeup artist and costume designer who had come to take her away, and thought about it before going along as well.

As the unwilling participant, Youyou, after failing to seek help from Grandpa Ji, obediently sat in the set’s scene, an old-fashioned classroom, feeling like a duck pushed onto a plank.

Under the noon sunlight, the girl standing on the windowsill was incredibly beautiful. She had two ponytails and wore a slightly faded light blue school uniform, but it was clean and tidy. When she heard someone enter, the girl turned her head and instantly, her exquisitely delicate face entered the camera’s viewfinder.

“You’re here.”

The girl smiled brightly, and her clear and pure eyes sparkled with fragments of radiance, captivating and stunning.

The person who arrived had their pupils slightly constrict, their heartbeat fluctuating.

“Cut—”

“You did well, Xiao Youyou.”

Replaying the previous scene, Ji Mo’s smile grew even bigger. Wan Liang was right. Although the little girl didn’t have acting talent, she herself was Zhou Xiao Liu*. As long as they didn’t pressure her and make her nervous, the effect would be good.

{*Zhou Xiao Liu is the name of the character.}

The set was dismantled and rearranged at a different location.

With the reassurance from Ji Mo and everyone else, Youyou gradually opened up.

Finally, in this school.

Not only did Dyed in Red leave a lasting impression on the male lead, Zhou Xiao Liu, as a pure and innocent love from their youth that he would never forget, but Youyou herself also gained the affection of everyone on set.

In the last scene, Wan Liang kept having repeated takes, and when asked about the reason, he scratched his head and sheepishly said, “The little girl is too cute, I couldn’t hold back.”

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, leaving Youyou feeling bewildered.

The originally scheduled seven-day shoot was reduced to two days. When Youyou received her payment, she felt particularly embarrassed. She looked at Ji Mo, then at the very amiable and kind-hearted Grandpa, and thought for a moment before saying, “Grandpa Ji, can I give you two of my paintings as a gift? I may not be good at anything else, but I’m a master-level artist!”

It’s not just Youyou boasting about herself. With the experiences of the original host from two lifetimes and her own skills and talent, her painting skills were top-notch, if not among the best in the field.

Seeing the pride on the little girl’s face, Ji Mo couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. He poked Youyou’s cheek and said in a displeased tone, “Let’s go, don’t bother grandpa. You should sell those paintings.”

In the end, while Ji Mo thought Youyou’s painting skills were good, he didn’t fully believe her words. After all, true masters wouldn’t stoop to selling their paintings on the streets, right?

Besides, she didn’t need to please his grandpa that much!

Youyou didn’t understand the hidden meaning in his words, but his grandpa understood.

Not wanting to brush off Youyou’s goodwill entirely, he nodded and said, “Then, I’ll trouble Youyou to finish the paintings and hand them over to me.”

“Grandpa!”

Why was he playing along with Youyou’s antics?!

He had already informed him about Youyou’s situation. Instead of letting her waste time doing useless favors, he would rather have her use her paintings to earn some money!

“Let’s go, don’t bother grandpa.”

This time, it was Youyou dragging Ji Mo out. As she pulled him, she made sure to assure him, “Don’t worry, grandpa. I promise the paintings will be amazing.”

“Y-Youyou!”

Even after they left the school gate, Ji Mo was still very angry.

He glared at Youyou, his tone extremely stern, “Don’t do this in the future! Even if you don’t give grandpa the paintings, I’ll make sure grandpa doesn’t cut your scenes!”

“Huh?”

What was he talking about?

Seeing Youyou’s confusion, Ji Mo also realized that things might not be as he had thought.

He pursed his lips slightly and organized his thoughts. Carefully, he asked, “Why do you want to give grandpa the paintings? There’s no reason for it, right?”

“Well,” Youyou blinked and explained her reasons.

“Hahaha, are you actually complaining about having too much money?”

He almost choked on his own saliva and looked at Youyou speechlessly, feeling both embarrassed and angry. “Do you even know how much money the entertainment industry makes? Forget earning thousands in two days, some people earn millions!”

“Do you know how much money Wan Liang makes? It’s this much!”

After saying that, Ji Mo gestured with his hands, indicating an astronomical figure.

Youyou:…

“Wow, I’m envious.”

“Envious of what?!”

Feeling a bit annoyed and embarrassed, Ji Mo gave Youyou a firm knock on the head and spoke in a muffled tone, “I’m going to make a phone call, wait for me.”

He didn’t want others to misunderstand the girl.

So he needed to explain it to his grandpa.

‘What’s wrong with him? Why did he suddenly become so fierce?’

Rubbing her slightly sore forehead, Youyou pouted for a bit and then suddenly smiled, ‘Xixi, I’m going to get rich. I can be lazy for a while.’

[He probably thought that the host said she would give him the paintings to please him, but now he knows that’s not the case, so he’s a bit annoyed and angry. As for getting rich…]

Her voice paused for a moment, Xixi sighed.

[The amount you’ve earned can’t be considered getting rich yet, host. However, you can use this free time to think about the mission.]

‘Okay, I understand.’

If she didn’t complete the mission, the derivative plot would continue, and she would be bullied by Fu Shu, that big villain. Youyou pursed her lips and made up her mind. She had to quickly win over Ling Ya and make her fall completely in love with her.

But how exactly should she do it? Youyou felt lost just thinking about it.

“Sigh.”

“What’s with the sigh? Why do you always sound so frustrated at such a young age?”

Ji Mo closed his phone and approached Youyou. He frowned slightly when he heard her sigh, quickening his pace until he stood in front of her.

“What’s the matter? Tell me, and I’ll give you some advice.”

Should I tell him?

“But… you don’t even have a girlfriend or boyfriend, right?”

Looking at Ji Mo with some doubt, Youyou pondered for a moment and cautiously asked, “Do you know how to make someone really, really like you?”

Ji Mo:…

As a single dog, he shouldn’t have been asked that, darn it.

…

Taking the girl to a cafe, Ji Mo sipped his coffee and listened to Youyou talk. After a while, he finally fully understood Youyou’s thoughts.

“So you mean you feel like your girlfriend, Ling Ya, doesn’t love you enough, so you want to find a way to make her completely fall in love with you, right?”

“Yes, yes.”

Xixi said that building affection is about building up the love value, so it’s not that Ling Ya doesn’t love her, she just doesn’t love her deeply enough. Hmph.

“Haha, little girl, why are you so naive?”

After a chuckle and a light cough, Ji Mo regained his composure and rolled his eyes.

“There’s no such thing as 100% love in this world, don’t daydream, little girl.”

Familial love, friendship, fame, power, there are countless temptations and choices. No one can guarantee that one person will love another person 100%.

After all…

Whether humans can give 100% love is still unknown.

Youyou:…

She wasn’t daydreaming. She had already succeeded once, but…

She just doesn’t remember it.

Feeling dejected, Youyou rested her chin on the coffee table, biting on her straw, looking boredly around the café.

The deep brown hues, the elegant and subdued atmosphere—perhaps it was afternoon—the café was sparsely populated, making the sound of the air conditioning particularly noticeable.

Suddenly, a clear and melodious chime sounded from the entrance. Youyou tilted her head to look and saw a woman in a black suit and another woman in a red dress walking in.

Taking a closer look, Youyou:…

“Ling… Ya!”

Her soft and tender voice, even when angry, was incredibly sweet. Fu Shu and Ling Ya turned their heads upon hearing the voice, each with a different expression.

“Youyou, what are you doing here?”

A hint of surprise flashed across Ling Ya’s beautiful face. She quickly walked towards Youyou and hugged her tightly.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls? Do you know how worried I was?”

“You don’t actually worry about me.”

Clutching Ling Ya’s arm tightly, Youyou glared at Fu Shu behind her and began to whine and complain to Ling Ya.

“Ling Ya, Ling Ya, Fu Shu bullied me, so can you help me beat her up? I can’t fight her, she’s so annoying, she bullied me!!”

Ling Ya:…

Fu Shu:…

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