The river water was still churning, just like Lu Chen's heart at this moment.
Looking at the so-called script in his hands, and then at Zhong Lan's deadpan expression of absolute seriousness, he felt a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"I'm sorry, I'm not an actor, and I don't make movies," Lu Chen replied with a polite smile, declining the offer.
"No, no, no, nobody is asking you to act," Zhong Lan shook her head.
"Then you are..."
"I'm the general manager of a film and television company myself, and I have my own actors and shooting crew." As she spoke, Zhong Lan quickly fished out a business card from her bag, emblazoned with the characters [Peak Media]. She then added, "I hope you can take a good time to read the script and become our producer."
As she slipped into character, Zhong Lan had already mastered the art of lying without turning red or skipping a beat.
As the old saying goes: you give yourself your own status the moment you step out the door.
Since that was the case, there was nothing wrong with adopting the identity of a general manager.
Mhm... completely reasonable.
"Pfft—"
Lu Chen couldn't help laughing out."Are you about to say next that this script is guaranteed to achieve massive returns with a small budget, win awards, and rake in a fortune?"
"Eh? How did you know?!"
Zhong Lan looked at Lu Chen in surprise, and it was only now, for the first time, that she could get a clear look at him.
Not gonna lie, he was kind of cute.
Still, it had nothing to do with her; men would only slow down her money-making speed.
Zhong Lan steadied herself, intending to keep up the "bluffing."
She still had a lot of confidence in her script.
"Although I'm not in the film industry, I've seen plenty of people like you who want to color outside the lines."
Before she could even open her mouth, Lu Chen interrupted, "Of course, I'm not saying you're a scammer. But past cases in the Twelve Provinces of Huaguo have proven that the vast majority of unconventional paths are just for swindling money, and very few actually succeed in making a profit and getting a distribution license."
"So?" Zhong Lan swallowed hard, asking with a guarded look.
Lu Chen shrugged and spread his hands. "Sorry, I can't take that risk. Most importantly, of course, I'm broke."
You've got to be kidding.
He didn't even know where he was going to scrape together his own ten-plus million in breach-of-contract penalties; how could he have spare cash to invest in a movie?
Besides... no matter how he looked at it, this woman seemed like a scammer.
Could her acting skills get any lousier?!
***
"These people have no taste at all, I'm so pissed off!"
Back at her rented apartment in Yuanyi Daguan, the moment she stepped into the bedroom, Zhong Lan angrily tossed her crossbody bag onto the bed and collapsed flat on her back.
A wave of helplessness washed over her.
Staring at the white ceiling, Zhong Lan's once-confident gaze began to grow a bit bewildered.
She murmured softly to herself, "Am I really destined to live such an ordinary life?"
Her past life had been ordinary enough, yet who would have thought that after transmigrating, she would still find every step an uphill battle.
Among the fat sheep she had scouted today, some had given it a couple of glances and scoffed, but most people—just like that last man—wouldn't even give the script a straight look.
The biggest difference between that man and the others was probably that he let her down gently, showing a little consideration for her pride.
As for what he said about being broke, Zhong Lan didn't believe a single word of it.
That entire outfit was top-tier designer brand; it probably cost tens of thousands, maybe even over a hundred thousand, otherwise there was no way he could have bought it.
"Hmph, men's words really are as deceptive as a ghost's!"
"When I get rich, I'm going to flex just like that."
At this thought, a goofy smile crept onto the corners of Zhong Lan's lips as she drifted off into fantasies.
Before she knew it, lost in her daze, she slipped into dreamland.
Her experiences over this period really had exhausted her.
***
Meanwhile, Lu Chen stopped at the entrance of an apartment complex.
Glancing at the large gold-plated characters [Yuanyi Daguan] affixed to the marble pillar beside him, he inexplicably felt a slight sense of comfort.
Human beings are complex creatures.
He didn't know why, when he earned his first massive windfall, he had bought a house by the river in his hometown only to leave it uninhabited and rent it out to someone else instead.
Perhaps he had known the answer all along.
He, Lu Chen, wasn't suited for the rules and routines of the entertainment industry; sooner or later, he would return to his roots.
Buying a house of his own was simply so that when he was forced to leave, he would still have a so-called "home" to shelter him from the wind and rain. And the reason he rented it out to someone else was probably the thought that at least when he came back, the place wouldn't be freezing and lifeless, but would retain a bit of human warmth.
He was free for the immediate future; it was time to enjoy life on his own terms.
Filled with anticipation, Lu Chen couldn't help quickening his pace.
Passing through building after building of high-rises—both familiar and unfamiliar—he came to Unit 2 of Building 8 and took the elevator, stopping only when he reached the door of Room 806.
"Knock, knock, knock—"
He rapped on the door, but received no reply.
Strange, was nobody home?
He couldn't remember the tenant's specific details; he only recalled that the real estate agent seemed to have mentioned in passing that she was a female college student who had just graduated recently, and was very gentle and amiable.
Since the other person was a woman, barging in directly certainly wouldn't be appropriate.
After a moment of thought, Lu Chen decided to keep knocking.
Only this time, he knocked much harder than before, accompanying it with a shout.
"Bang, bang, bang—"
"Hello, is anyone home?"
The heavy knocking echoed down the hallway.
After waiting for a moment, Lu Chen's ears twitched slightly, and he pressed his entire ear against the security door.
He thought he heard footsteps coming from inside, and the footsteps were growing sharper and more hurried.
Before he could react, the security door was shoved violently outward, followed by an angry roar: "Knock your head!"
"Ouch!"
Lu Chen was sent tumbling to the ground by the swinging door.
Where on earth did this tigress come from? What happened to being gentle and amiable?
Lu Chen rubbed his backside in frustration, then raised his head.
Lu Chen: "..."
Zhong Lan: "?"
The two of them stared at each other in blank dismay, eyes locked wide.
Then, they spoke in unison: "It's you?!"
Zhong Lan immediately followed up: "Are you a pervert? Stalking me all the way to my home! I'm warning you not to try anything funny, this lady isn't someone you can mess with!"
As she spoke, she even raised her small fist into a fierce posture.
"You can talk nonsense about what you eat, but you can't talk nonsense like that. Who's stalking you?!" Lu Chen scrambled to his feet.
By now, he was also burning with anger.
He never in his wildest dreams expected that his tenant would turn out to be that exact same scammer from earlier.
Seeing that Lu Chen didn't make any further moves, Zhong Lan eased her emotions slightly, though her tone remained somewhat hostile: "Then why are you knocking on my door? Don't tell me you went to the wrong door!"
"This is my home, what right do I have not to come here!" Lu Chen glared at her and immediately shot back.
"Ha, I'm dying of laughter."
Zhong Lan looked Lu Chen up and down twice, sneering, "Judging by how human you look dressed up in clothes, I never took you for a scammer spouting absolute nonsense the moment you open your mouth."
"Huh?"
"Me? A scammer?" Lu Chen pointed at himself in disbelief.
What the hell!
Lady, do you even hear yourself right now?
"Take a look for yourself!"
Lu Chen's chest heaved with anger as he retrieved his phone with trembling hands, pulling up the relevant lease agreement files the agent had sent him earlier.
Zhong Lan took the phone with a skeptical look.
But she hadn't looked for long before her expression began to turn unnatural.
Especially when she saw the photo of the landlord's ID card printed on the contract, everything clicked instantly in her mind.
No wonder she always felt like she had seen this guy somewhere before.
That meant this person was my... Zhong Lan raised her head with a stiff motion.
"Done reading?"
"M-M-MASTER DIRECTOR!" Lu Chen ground the words out through clenched teeth, his face ice-cold.
Zhong Lan forced the corners of her mouth upward, squeezing out a smile. "Landlord, please listen to my sophistry—ah pui, no wait, listen to my explanation!"