Bai Roushuang sighed helplessly, "Then what are you doing here today? Still chasing after that girl?"
Song Ping smiled. "Chasing isn't the main point, but since she's Wuyou's reincarnation, now that we've crossed paths, I ought to look out for her a little."
"How exactly are you planning to 'look out' for her? Did you two meet just now?"
"We did," Song Ping sighed. "But she seems quite wary of me."
"Why?"
"She probably thinks I'm here to... proposition her."
Xu Shulou paused. "What do you do in the mortal world?"
"A domineering CEO."
"Speak like a normal person."
"..." Song Ping rubbed his nose. Over the years, his seniority in the cultivation world had grown, and it had been a long time since anyone spoke to him like this. Strangely enough, it felt nostalgic. "Ahem, I run a company. I'm Dustless Island's envoy to the mortal world. Initially, it was just to help my junior brothers, sisters, and disciples if they ever decided to venture into the secular world. But the business kept expanding. After meeting Wuyou's reincarnation, I acquired an entertainment-related company, hoping to give her a hand. But she... thought I was trying to proposition her. Maybe I should just stay away to avoid bothering her."
Bai Roushuang stared at him, dumbfounded. "You haven't learned a single thing from your senior sister's skills."
"Huh?" Xu Shulou looked puzzled. "What skills of mine?"
"Nothing," Bai Roushuang tried to brush it off. "Senior Sister, why don’t you go explore for a bit? I need to give Second Senior Brother a lesson."
"Alright." Xu Shulou gave her long-lost junior brother a hug, leaving the two to discuss matters of the heart while she wandered curiously around the film set.
Though filming hadn’t officially started, the set was already bustling with activity. Staff hurried back and forth, nearly bumping into her. Xu Shulou sidestepped gracefully, overhearing one of them urgently asking, "Where’s Old Yu? Don’t tell me he’s bailing on us now!"
"No idea," another scratched his head. "He’s not answering his calls."
"Keep trying! He promised to help screen the actors auditioning for action scenes these days. How could he just vanish?"
Xu Shulou watched their retreating figures. She couldn’t shake the feeling of a faint, eerie presence lingering nearby. Following the trail within the crew, she eventually arrived at a standalone villa.
The film studio had many such villas nearby, housing crew members. The surroundings were pleasant, with lush greenery separating each building, ensuring privacy between residents.
Xu Shulou stopped a staff member wearing a lanyard. "Excuse me, who’s staying in this villa?"
The man turned and checked his phone’s notes. "These villas are booked by the 'Path to Immortality' crew, but not everyone’s arrived yet. Right now, only the action director, Yu Xing, is staying there."
Action Director Yu Xing? Could he be the missing "Old Yu" they mentioned?
Xu Shulou took note. "Which room is his?"
The staff member gave her a once-over, his tone turning suggestive. "First door on the left, second floor. Why?"
"Thanks." Xu Shulou barely registered his tone. Once she got the information, she thanked him and headed straight for the villa.
"Tsk tsk," the staff member clicked his tongue behind her. "Trying to land a role through the action director? This beauty must be desperate."
After a moment’s thought, he glanced around and followed her.
At the villa’s entrance, Xu Shulou wasn’t entirely familiar with modern locks, but within a minute, she had it open.
She reached the second-floor room and pushed the door open, immediately sensing an odd fluctuation in the air. She pressed a hand against the wall, feeling it writhe slightly before freezing abruptly, as if startled.
The movement vanished too quickly—most people would’ve dismissed it as a momentary pulse under their palm.
What was this thing?
Xu Shulou stepped on the thick carpet, sensing something amiss. She knelt and pressed her ear to the floor.
Just then, the film’s producer and coordinator walked in, only to see a young woman lying flat on the ground, ear pressed to the floor as if listening intently.
"What the— Who are you? What are you doing?"
Xu Shulou calmly got up, dusting herself off. "Yoga."
She’d been cramming modern vocabulary lately, mastering food delivery apps with astonishing speed.
"..."
"That’s yoga?" The two were speechless. "Wait, why are you in Old Yu’s room? Do you know him? Any idea where he went?"
"I don’t know him," Xu Shulou shook her head. "If he’s missing, have you called the police?"
"Call the police?" The coordinator sighed. "You don’t know Old Yu—he’s always disappearing after drinking. We only keep him around because he’s good at his job. Calling the cops would just waste their time."
The producer frowned. "Who are you?"
"I’m here to apply for a job," Xu Shulou improvised. "Since your action director’s missing, I could temporarily—"
"Applying? Perfect!" The producer’s eyes lit up as he cut her off. "Here, read this script for an audition."
"Audition?" Xu Shulou hesitated. "I can’t act."
"No worries, just give it a try. No pressure." The producer rummaged through his bag and pulled out a stack of papers.
Even the coordinator side-eyed him. "Aren’t you being a little too eager?"
The producer rolled his eyes. "Can you blame me? The script’s full of stunning beauties—where am I supposed to find that many gorgeous but obscure actresses willing to guest star?"
He shoved two pages at Xu Shulou. "Here, read these lines."
Under his expectant gaze, Xu Shulou reluctantly complied:
"Husband, do you like this dress? I wore it just for you... Wait, which character is this?"
"Doesn’t matter. Just read it with feeling."
Xu Shulou steeled herself and continued flatly:
"I don’t care! You’ve been spending all your time with Sister Yugu lately. Today, you have to stay with me, or I’ll never speak to Brother Lu again! (Note: Act coquettishly here—pout and stomp.)"
"..."
Her deadpan delivery left both men stunned.
After a long pause, the producer finally spoke:
"That was... impressively terrible."
"..." Xu Shulou appreciated his honesty.
"The line is supposed to be, ‘Otherwise, I’ll never speak to Brother Lu again,’ but you delivered it like, ‘Otherwise, I’ll stab Brother Lu to death.’ Turns out you weren’t kidding when you said you ‘can’t act,’" the producer groaned, rubbing his temples as he stared at the stunning yet talentless beauty before him. "The male lead is your beloved husband, not some sworn enemy you’re plotting to murder."
Xu Shulou shrugged. "Art imitates life. Maybe I really have stabbed someone before."
"Honestly, this is the first time I’ve heard someone butcher lines this badly."
"It’s the script’s fault," Xu Shulou shot back, utterly unrepentant, as she flicked the two flimsy A4 pages in her hand. "And speaking of honesty, do you really think anyone’s going to watch this? Aren’t you afraid of losing your shirt?"
"..."
Xu Shulou clearly had a masterclass in how to offend HR during a job interview.
