The girl was naughty and demanding.
Lu Zhe's brows furrowed, his thin lips pressed tight, wanting to scold her and tell her to stop fooling around.
Below him, Su Ci looked up with bright eyes at the young man who was exasperated by her behavior. She wrapped her arms around his neck without any shame, pulling him down while accusing, "Don't be angry. When I ask for a kiss, you should kiss me properly."
The girl lying beneath was soft all over. Lu Zhe had his hands propped on either side, afraid of crushing her, when she suddenly pulled him down, causing him to fall unexpectedly on top of her.
Lu Zhe found himself surrounded by softness.
His entire body tensed up, and he gritted his teeth, scolding in a low voice: "Let go!"
When had Su Ci ever obediently listened to him?
Her eyes curved with mischief, "Lu Zhe, you're so heavy, I can barely breathe."
Lu Zhe: ......
How could there be a girl so full of mischief?
She was infuriating, yet there was nothing he could do about it.
Lu Zhe sighed.
He lowered his head to her ear, his low voice carrying a hint of coaxing, "Stop fooling around."
Then, in the night, his cool thin lips pressed against her soft ones.
He knew the little rabbit liked to be pampered.
With just that gentle kiss, the girl quieted down.
"Go to sleep, I have a competition tomorrow," Lu Zhe's cool voice sounded even deeper in the quiet room.
Su Ci blinked.
The cool sensation lingered on her lips. This wasn't the first time Lu Zhe had kissed her, but it felt different somehow. Her heart felt like someone had gently poked it.
It was tingly and numb, and it felt nice.
Su Ci was greedy. Her slender arms tightened around Lu Zhe's neck, "Lu Zhe, kiss me one more time and I'll let go." One more kiss, and she could maintain her human form for the whole day tomorrow.
Lu Zhe looked at her, lowered his head, and kissed those overly soft lips again.
His nose was filled with her sweet scent, and Lu Zhe's dark eyes grew even deeper.
After Su Ci's playful disruption settled down, Lu Zhe's muscle spasms had stopped. Looking at the moonlight streaming through the window, he somewhat regretted his indulgence towards the girl.
She was too clever, testing his boundaries time and again, forcing him to retreat step by step.
Lu Zhe's rigid face remained expressionless as he gently moved the girl's arm from his waist.
Turning to his side, he faced away from the girl and fell asleep.
......
In the morning, the entire city was bathed in golden sunlight.
Lu Zhe was awakened by something nudging him.
He opened his eyes and looked down to see the girl's head burrowed into his chest, her fair face pressed against him, unconsciously nuzzling.
His eyes darkened as he pushed her away.
The air conditioning was on in the room, making it slightly cold. He got up and pulled the fallen blanket back up, gently covering Su Ci.
When the doorbell rang, Lu Zhe had just finished washing up.
He opened the door to find Zhao Youyou standing outside.
"Brother, good morning! Are you ready? I came to get you for breakfast. Teacher Huang said we'll meet in the lobby at nine to leave together." Zhao Youyou was in high spirits today, wearing a pale yellow dress.
Ever since she won the five million lottery, her family's financial situation had completely changed. She had thrown away all her old clothes, and her mother had accompanied her to buy a new wardrobe.
The dress she was wearing was newly bought, making her appear even more fair and beautiful. Zhao Youyou loved her new look.
She urged Lu Zhe, "Brother, the other two team members are already downstairs having breakfast, let's hurry."
"I'm not going. You go ahead," Lu Zhe refused.
Having just washed his face, water droplets clung to Lu Zhe's deep-set brow bone, trailing down his sharp jawline and disappearing into his collar, exuding an indescribable sensuality.
Zhao Youyou was momentarily stunned.
Before her reincarnation, Zhao Youyou hadn't understood why so many girls at school liked the destitute, cold, and wooden Lu Zhe. Now that she had returned, she understood - if it weren't for his terminal illness and orphan status, he was indeed exceptional.
"So noisy."
A girl's spoiled complaint suddenly rang out from inside the room, completely interrupting Zhao Youyou's thoughts.
Zhao Youyou was dumbfounded, her face full of shock.
There was a woman in Lu Zhe's room?
She peered inside in disbelief and finally noticed someone lying in Lu Zhe's bed. The person had their back to her, covered by a blanket, and she could see one foot peeking out from under the covers.
It was a small foot, as if dipped in snow, with a red string tied around the delicate ankle.
Just one glance was enough to set imagination running wild.
Not only was there a woman in Lu Zhe's room, but they had spent the night together?
Zhao Youyou's head spun, as if struck by something heavy, unable to process the situation.
She thought of Lu Zhe who had saved her in her previous life, then looked at the Lu Zhe before her who was cold towards her and had a woman in his room. Zhao Youyou felt a sourness in her heart, like a child whose favorite toy had been stolen.
Even though she had given him up before, now that someone else had taken him, she found herself unwilling to let go.
Zhao Youyou's eyes reddened with jealousy as she looked at Lu Zhe awkwardly, "I'll head down first."
With that, she practically ran away, her pale yellow dress disappearing around the corridor corner.
Lu Zhe closed the door and turned around to see Su Ci sitting up in bed, wrapped in white sheets, her pure white face full of drowsiness.
"Zhao Youyou asked you to breakfast?" Su Ci looked at Lu Zhe with reproachful eyes.
Afraid of what the girl might say, Lu Zhe directly told her: "I refused."
Su Ci had certainly heard him refuse Zhao Youyou; otherwise, she would have shown herself already.
Su Ci lay down and moved to the foot of the bed, watching the young man check his documents and stationery in his backpack.
She propped her face in her hands, her dark eyes twinkling with smile, "I won't wish you luck for the competition, you'll definitely get first place anyway."
Lu Zhe turned to look at her, "Why are you so sure I'll get first place? What if I don't?"
Su Ci glanced at him and said matter-of-factly: "First place belongs to you."
Su Ci sat up, the jade gourd on her foot swaying with her movement.
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lu Zhe, "How about we make a bet? If you get first place, you kiss me five times. If you don't get first place, you kiss me ten times."
Lu Zhe didn't respond, he just picked up his backpack and walked out.
This was an affirmative proposition, not a multiple choice question.
......
After Lu Zhe left, Su Ci went back to sleep, not waking up until noon.
Seeing the lunch delivered by room service, Su Ci realized Lu Zhe had already ordered food for her.
Tsk, the poor dear was so thoughtful.
Su Ci remembered the agent from yesterday, and she found his card and called the number.
She wasn't sure if anyone would answer.
However, the call was picked up after just two rings.
Looks like he hadn't died.
Su Ci was a bit happy. She closed her eyes and discovered she had received a golden cotton candy, presumably from the agent.
Previously, Lu Zhe had eaten two golden cotton candies, one from when she saved Li Ran, and one from the little boy at the mall.
She had been observing lately. Before, when Lu Zhe walked, one of his legs would limp slightly. It wasn't noticeable when he walked slowly, but became apparent when he walked faster. These past few days, she noticed Lu Zhe's leg seemed to have improved somewhat, at least she hadn't seen him fall while walking.
Su Ci was curious about how many golden cotton candies Lu Zhe would need to eat to fully recover.
On the other end of the phone, the agent's tone was somewhat impatient, "Who is this?"
Su Ci replied unhurriedly, "Mr. Xu, you gave me your card yesterday."
Hearing Su Ci's voice, agent Xu Duo immediately remembered, "It's you." His voice carried a hint of joy; he had finally received a call from this girl.
"Are you interested in signing with our company?" Xu Duo asked her.
"I want to know more about the advertisement you mentioned - what kind of advertisement it is, and what the compensation would be. I haven't decided about signing with the company yet." She needed money now, and since an opportunity to earn had presented itself, she had no reason to refuse.
If it were any other young artist being so presumptuous, Xu Duo would have hung up already. But Su Ci was different - not only did she have exceptional qualities, but she also brought him good fortune.
Xu Duo strongly believed in feng shui and destiny.
Last night his friend had invited him out for drinks, but he had declined, and the reason for his refusal was Su Ci.
Before, he drank every day because of work issues and was taken advantage of by his rival, but after meeting Su Ci, Xu Duo knew his chance to turn things around had come, so he no longer wanted to drink in frustration.
Therefore, he declined his friend's invitation yesterday.
It wasn't until this morning that he received a call: his friend had been involved in a serious car accident last night due to drunk driving, suffering a comminuted fracture in one leg, which might leave him crippled, and three broken ribs, with severe head trauma. After a night, the doctors barely managed to pull him back from the brink of death.
While feeling sad for his friend, Xu Duo was also filled with fear, breaking out in a cold sweat.
If he had gone out drinking last night, he would have been in that car, and perhaps he would have died in the accident.
Although it sounded far-fetched, he couldn't help but feel that it was because of this girl that he had escaped death.
Thinking this, Xu Duo's attitude towards Su Ci became even more amiable. "There's an ad for a beverage, and the client wants to find a beautiful new face. Do you have time to come for an audition tomorrow?"
Su Ci didn't notice the change in the agent's attitude towards her. "Send me the audition address."
Xu Duo readily agreed.
......
The day after the competition, Lu Zhe didn't leave with the group but instead requested to stay for two more days.
Zhao Youyou felt that Lu Zhe staying behind must be because of the person in his room. She was uncomfortable and wanted to know what the woman in Lu Zhe's room looked like, who she was.
In the previous life, up until his death, he had been alone, never having much contact with any woman.
When Lu Zhe returned to the hotel, Su Ci had already changed her clothes.
She asked Lu Zhe to accompany her to the audition.
Upon arriving at the audition location, Xu Duo was already waiting at the door.
Su Ci noticed that this agent liked to wear green clothes. Yesterday it was dark green, and today it was a mint green suit, even the socks were mint green. The only thing missing was a green hat.
This green-clad man made Su Ci think of Lu Zhe's classmate, the little pink one.
Tsk, if the two walked together, they'd be the little pink and the little green.
"You're here," Xu Duo wiped the sweat from his forehead. When he saw the young man beside Su Ci, his eyes lit up. "Is this your friend?"
Xu Duo, having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, had long since developed a sharp eye.
Su Ci's friend was not only tall and well-built, with a model's frame, but also had an outstanding face, good bone structure, and a unique, aloof temperament. If he entered the entertainment industry, he would undoubtedly be a heartthrob.
"Don't even think about it," Su Ci saw through Xu Duo's intentions at a glance and directly cut off his fantasies. "He's not entering the entertainment industry."
She would earn money to support Lu Zhe.
Xu Duo's eyes showed a hint of regret, but when he looked at Su Ci's face, he was invigorated again. He wasn't greedy; having found one treasure was enough. Having too many treasures would be bad luck.
Xu Duo wiped the sweat from his forehead again. "I'll take you in. Just follow the photographer's instructions for the photoshoot." Although it was called an audition, for Su Ci, it was just a formality. The role was definitely hers, and they could start shooting right away.
After introducing Su Ci to the director and photographers, Su Ci prepared to go to the makeup room.
"Lu Zhe, wait for me here for a bit, it won't be long," Su Ci led Lu Zhe to a seat and sat down. It was just a small ad with only a few shots, so the shooting time wouldn't be very long.
"You might get bored," Su Ci let go of his hem, "but you have to endure it."
Lu Zhe was already used to boredom. "Mm."
Su Ci's red lips curved. She leaned close to the boy's ear and whispered, "I'm going to earn money to support you."
The warm breath of the girl landed on his ear, a bit ticklish.
By the time Lu Zhe came to his senses, the girl had already walked into the makeup room.
Support him?
Lu Zhe's expression on his stiff face was indifferent. He lowered his eyes and clenched his hand at his side.
In the makeup room, the makeup artist felt she had encountered the most awkward moment in her career.
Facing such a flawless face, she didn't know where to start.
Her makeup skills were excellent; she could turn an ugly person into a fairy, but she didn't have the ability to turn a fairy into a god.
"Your complexion is the best I've ever seen among the artists I've worked with," the makeup artist couldn't help but praise Su Ci.
Su Ci nodded in agreement. Apart from anything else, she had always been very confident in her appearance.
Since the ad was for a yogurt drink, with a sweet theme, Su Ci had to change into a pink dress prepared by the costume designer.
The content of the ad was simple: Su Ci sitting on a tree picking fruit, then putting the fruit into milk, and finally filming her delicious expression while drinking the beverage.
Lu Zhe watched the girl under the lights and camera, glowing as if she were born to be in front of the lens, born to receive the attention and praise of the crowd.
After finishing the shot of picking fruit on the tree, Su Ci came over to Lu Zhe to rest while waiting for the props team to set up the next scene.
"Lu Zhe, how did I do?" Su Ci leaned close to him without any hesitation.
Lu Zhe's expression was calm. "Very good."
"Really?"
Receiving praise from Lu Zhe, Su Ci's eyes curved with a hint of pride. After all, in her previous life, she entered the entertainment industry not by acting but by her looks, which led to her being constantly criticized as a vase.
She couldn't tolerate being called ugly, but she could accept being criticized for not having acting skills. She wasn't a professional, nor was she born with acting talent. The haters were just stating facts when they said she lacked acting skills.
Now that Lu Zhe praised her for acting well, Su Ci felt a bit pleased.
She bent down, untied the red string from her ankle, and stuffed it into Lu Zhe's hand. "I'll be shooting full-body shots later, you hold onto this for me, don't lose it." After saying that, she went back to shoot the remaining shots.
Lu Zhe looked at the red string in his hand.
It was a thin string with a jade-colored gourd, something he had casually bought for the rabbit at a street stall, not a valuable item. But the girl wore it every day.
He looked at Su Ci, who was stunning under the camera. The girl seemed to sense his gaze, looked over, and smiled at him, her eyes like stars.
Lu Zhe tightened his grip on the red string.
The ad shoot went smoothly, and the director was very satisfied with Su Ci's performance. Xu Duo could see that Su Ci had a good sense of the camera, born to be in the entertainment industry.
He paid Su Ci and tried to persuade her to sign a contract. "I'll send you an electronic version of the contract later. If you think it's okay, we can arrange a time to sign."
Su Ci wasn't in a hurry. "Sure, I'll give you a reply after looking at the contract."
Xu Duo was genuinely sincere about signing Su Ci. "Don't worry, after I go back, I'll try to negotiate with the company to give you a top-tier contract." If such a good seed were snatched away by another company, he would be devastated.
Su Ci smiled. She had signed contracts before, so she would decide everything after looking at the contract.
Xu Duo saw her to the door, chatted a few more words, and then left.
At that moment, a car drove in from outside.
Inside the car, seeing the familiar face outside the window, Qin Shiyan was shocked.
"Shiyan, what's wrong?" The agent beside her didn't get a response and patted Qin Shiyan's hand.
Qin Shiyan's blood seemed to freeze, and she could clearly hear her heart beating.
It was her!
It was Su Ci!
No, she should be dead, she couldn't be here.
Qin Shiyan tried to suppress the shock in her heart and looked back at the girl.
The familiar teardrop mole at the same position as hers made her heart skip a beat.
After getting out of the car, Qin Shiyan had composed herself. She asked her assistant to find out what the girl outside the door was doing here.
Soon, the assistant returned. "Shiyan, I asked around. She's here to shoot an ad. They were filming an ad for a small-brand beverage in the next studio just now."
Qin Shiyan subconsciously frowned.
She was certain that the person outside the door was Su Ci. Even if she didn't want to admit it, there could be no second Su Ci, the princess raised by the Su Family, only one.
Since Su Ci wasn't dead, why hadn't she returned to the Su Family and instead came to shoot such a small ad?
Qin Shiyan's eyes flashed with a dramatic thought. Could it be that Su Ci had lost her memory?
"Sister Fang, I want to take over the ad next door," Qin Shiyan discussed with her agent.
"The ad next door has already been shot," the agent frowned. "And such a small ad doesn't match your current status."
"Sister Fang, help me get the director to replace the person. I don't care about the ad fee."
Su Ci must not appear in front of the Su Family. Ideally, Su Ci should disappear forever.
At the Su Family residence.
Su Zhiyuan returned from the company, his usually gloomy and heavy brows slightly relaxed.
"Young Master, you're back," the servant greeted as she saw Su Zhiyuan.
"Where's my mother?" Su Zhiyuan's features were delicate and beautiful, but he had no trace of femininity. His demeanor was cold, exuding an ethereal air of a noble gentleman.
"Madam is in Miss's room," Hua's Wife said with a hint of sorrow.
She had been with the Su Family for a long time and had watched the young lady grow up. In a disrespectful way, she considered the young lady as half her daughter. The beautiful and pampered young lady was gone, and the entire Su Family had been in deep mourning for a long time.
"I'll go take a look," Su Zhiyuan went upstairs. He hadn't stepped into his sister's room for a long time. Everything was kept as it was, each piece of furniture and decoration was what his sister liked.
Su Zhiyuan saw his mother sitting on his sister's bed in a daze. He strode over and knelt in front of her, "Mom."
"You're back," Su's Mother looked at her eldest son, her eyes instantly turning red. "I miss Ci Ci." Her daughter was her heart and lungs. Now that she was gone, she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Su Zhiyuan took out a stack of photos from a file, "Mom, look, it's Ci Ci."
The photos were screenshots from a surveillance camera.
Su's Mother's hands trembled as she held the photos. She wanted to look closely but was blinded by tears, making the images blurrier.
Su Zhiyuan handed her a tissue, "Mom, Ci Ci is not dead."
"Have you found her?" Su's Mother's voice trembled. Her well-maintained face was wet with tears, and she didn't care about her disheveled appearance. "Where is Ci Ci? Take me to see her quickly."
Su Zhiyuan's expression darkened, "We only have footage from part of the surveillance. She left the camera's view, and my people haven't found out where she went yet. However, we can now confirm that Ci Ci is not dead. This is good news. I will find her as soon as possible."
Su's Mother was overjoyed and cried, "Has your father been informed?"
Su Zhiyuan shook his head, "Not yet."
"I'll call your father." Since their daughter's disappearance, she had heard her husband cry in the middle of the night several times.
The next day, Su Ci received a call from her agent, Xu Duo, informing her that her ad had been replaced by a newly popular actress.
Su Ci was a bit surprised. Were resources so tight now that even such a small ad could be snatched?
However, she didn't care much. After all, she would still get paid. Xu Duo didn't take much commission from her, and she would receive 30,000 yuan, which was a reasonable price for a newcomer who hadn't appeared on screen.
After hanging up the phone, Su Ci leaned close to Lu Zhe.
"Lu Zhe, what's your bank card number?" Su Ci asked him.
Lu Zhe was packing their luggage. Hearing the girl's question, he gave her his card number.
A few minutes later, he received a text message indicating that 30,000 yuan had been transferred to his account.
Su Ci leaned closer to him and glanced at the message, "It's in the account, pretty fast."
Lu Zhe frowned, "Why are you transferring money to me?"
"I want to support you," Su Ci blinked at him. "And I don't have a card, so I'll keep all the money I earn with you."
Lu Zhe's thin lips tightened. His pitch-black eyes looked deeply at Su Ci, "I don't need you to support me."
Su Ci remembered that men had pride and didn't like to live off others. She understood and casually said, "Then consider it as temporarily stored with you."
"Mm," Lu Zhe didn't object further.
Su Ci sat on the bed, continuing to watch Lu Zhe pack their luggage.
Thinking of something, her eyes lit up, "Lu Zhe, let's go eat hot pot tonight. I want spicy."
Lu Zhe nodded. He had no particular preferences when it came to food.
Su Ci's eyes curved slightly, and she said shamelessly, "After eating spicy, you can kiss me. I want a fiery kiss."
