Inside the living room, Lu Chen sat upright on the sofa. Opposite him, Zhong Lan looked like a child who had done something wrong, her head buried in her chest, exuding complete awkwardness.
"Is this your explanation?"
"Yeah."
Her reply was as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito.
Seeing Zhong Lan like this, Lu Chen said irritably, "Even if you have a passion for the film industry and want to make money, you can't go around scamming people! You're still young, and you have a long road ahead of you."
His words seemed to step on Zhong Lan's sensitive spot.
She immediately bristled. "It's just that you people are blind! My movie concept is guaranteed to shock the entire film industry."
"Oh, right, right, right!"
"Hmph, you'll regret not investing in my movie sooner or later."
"Oh, right, right, right!"
"Unbelievable!" Zhong Lan wished she could tear his mouth apart, but then she remembered he was her landlord...
Fine, I'll humor you one last time.
At this point, Lu Chen was completely speechless.
He really wanted to say that everyone living inside a world of their own making always talked like this, full of unearned confidence.
As for your script, heh... Even if he jumped off a building and could never sing another note in his life, he would still never invest in it!
"Forget it, let's talk about business!" Lu Chen adjusted his posture, glanced at his phone, and said, "Due to work reasons, I plan to move back in, so I need to reclaim the apartment. Of course, since this counts as me breaking the lease, I'll compensate you with three months' rent as a penalty according to the contract."
"What?!"
Zhong Lan's expression changed instantly, and she sprang to her feet.
Why is my luck so terrible?
She hadn't secured any investment for her movie, and now she was about to be kicked out of her place to live.
No way, I absolutely cannot move out!
She didn't have much money to begin with. To find a suitable place, she had practically scoured every corner of the Huizhou area and dealt with over a dozen agencies. By pure coincidence, she had discovered that this apartment was up for rent, and the owner didn't really care about the price.
Quite a few people had come to view the place before, but they all thought the situation was too abnormal and worried the apartment was haunted, so she had managed to snap up a bargain.
After all, aside from being poor, she was afraid of nothing.
Zhong Lan made a quick mental calculation and arrived at a horrifying realization.
Even with the landlord paying out three months' rent as a penalty, her meager savings wouldn't be enough to rent a suitable place in Huizhou, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.
"I disagree!"
Zhong Lan plopped back down onto the sofa, turned her head to the side, and clearly adopted a stance of fighting to the bitter end.
As if he had anticipated this outcome, Lu Chen's expression remained calm and level as he explained, "I am already willing to honor the contract by paying three times the compensation. If you don't agree, I'm afraid I'll have to take legal action."
"You... you..." Zhong Lan pointed at Lu Chen, too furious to speak.
Because she knew full well she was in the wrong.
Yet the thought of moving out and potentially sleeping on the street filled her with dread.
Her angry expression instantly melted into a radiant smile, replaced by a flattering demeanor.
She took a few mincing steps over to Lu Chen's side and grabbed his arm, shaking it back and forth.
Her voice turned as saccharine and coquettish as possible.
"Lannd~lord~ bro~ther~ dear~"
"Ugh—"
Goosebumps erupted all over Lu Chen's body. He forcibly suppressed his discomfort and pulled his arm away. "My name is Lu Chen, not landlord."
Zhong Lan blinked, immediately slapped on another full smile, and grabbed the hand he had just withdrawn. "Fine, then Lu~ Chen~ bro~ther~ dear~. In your great and boundless mercy, please let me keep living here."
"Give me a reason." Unmoved, Lu Chen gave her a cold, indifferent glance.
"I... I have no money." Looking utterly aggrieved, Zhong Lan laid out her financial situation and promised, "Don't worry, Lu Chen brother, the exact moment the contract expires, I will pack up and leave immediately."
"Call me Lu Chen!" Lu Chen raised his voice.
"Oh."
Zhong Lan replied in a small voice.
When a young lady walks this earth, she should wield a three-foot green blade... No, wait, wrong script.
She must know how to bend and stretch as circumstances require!
Zhong Lan pouted her rosy lips, leaned in close, and stared fixedly at Lu Chen, her large, crystalline eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
*Hoo—*
Warm breath continued to wash over Lu Chen's face.
"Just let me stay, Lu Chen."
"If all else fails, you can keep a room for yourself, and we can be roommates."
Before he knew it, the distance between them had closed considerably.
Lu Chen felt his entire body stiffen as blood rushed through his veins.
"I think you shouldn't be a director. Going to Shuzhou to perform Sichuan opera or becoming an actor suits you much better."
Leaving no trace of his movement, he widened the distance between them and couldn't help but complain.
Where on earth did this creature come from?
He sighed. "I really give up on you."
Zhong Lan blinked rapidly. "Does that mean you agree?"
"Do I have a choice?"
Lu Chen rolled his eyes.
Through his interactions with her so far, he knew that if he didn't agree, she would probably latch onto him endlessly.
He already had enough on his plate lately; he didn't want to be bogged down by trivial matters.
"Hooray!"
Seeing Lu Chen nod, Zhong Lan jumped to her feet in excitement. "Then I'll head back to my room first. Thank you!"
Just as she reached her door and grabbed the handle to go inside, Lu Chen's voice sounded behind her once more.
"I'm taking the master bedroom."
"That is my bottom line!"
Zhong Lan turned her head, intending to pull the act of playing the pitiful victim one more time, but Lu Chen's second sentence completely cut off any room for negotiation.
She had no choice but to nod obediently. "Got it, I'll move right now."
Then she muttered under her breath:
"Stingy."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing! I was just saying what a genuinely good person you are." Zhong Lan hurriedly unlocked her door and slipped right inside.
*Click—*
The door was locked from the inside in one smooth motion, leaving Lu Chen alone in the living room in a state of disarray.
***
Night fell.
Both of them had finished packing their luggage and had swapped rooms.
Compared to the master bedroom, the second bedroom lacked a balcony with a view of the river. Fortunately, however, the building she lived in was situated right by the community's central park. Through the bay window, she could vaguely see the artificial lake beside the park. At least the view was better than having it blocked by various tall buildings.
Sitting at her desk, Zhong Lan looked through the information on her computer with a worried expression.
The screen was filled with keywords related to filmmaking, such as:
[What are the ways to secure investment?], [How to make a movie without a grade certificate], [Things you didn't know about script sales channels]
Actually, she had looked over all this information countless times, but she still hoped to find an effective breakthrough among them.
Because she knew very well:
Even if her script drew some criticism once it was filmed, there would definitely be an audience willing to accept it.
It might not grant her financial freedom right away, but securing a license for an unrated director should at least be achievable.
Only with a license could she pursue better, long-term development.
Yet Zhong Lan had no idea that while she was still worrying, Lu Chen in the master bedroom had just taken off his headphones.
He had listened to all the songs on Hua Nation's latest August music chart—a form of study, summary, and self-improvement.
Not only that, but a stack of A4 paper sat on Lu Chen's bedside table.
If Zhong Lan were in the room, she would surely have been astonished to see that it was precisely the script she had given Lu Chen that afternoon.
"Who knows where this little scammer gets her confidence."
"Anyway, it's still early, I might as well take a look."
Recalling all of Zhong Lan's antics from today, Lu Chen had to admit he was genuinely curious about what she had written that made her so relentlessly enthusiastic about peddling it everywhere.
He leaned back against the headboard and picked up the script.
On the very first page were just four characters making up the title:
*Calls*