novelraw Chapter 58: Helping Bai Lu reserve a new script, "Zhou Sheng Ru Gu".
Chapter 58: Helping Bai Lu reserve a new script, "Zhou Sheng Ru Gu".
Tian Xiwei's back was pressed against the tiled wall, and her hands were rubbing haphazardly in the large pockets of her school uniform.
dilemma.
Song Ze ignored the question and took a big bite of the snake fruit in his hand.
"Lulu."
He dragged out the tone.
"Actually, the main reason I flew to Hengdian in the middle of the night was to see you. I love you the most, senior brother. What happened just now was a little incident."
He continued weaving without taking a breath.
"It was purely by accident that Sister Tian appeared here. It's a lucky star that Heaven sent down to reward me for my crazy world-saving efforts in my previous ninety-nine lives. From now on, she will be your closest junior sister, and we'll duo queue to climb the ranks."
The grievances and bitterness churning violently in Bai Lu's chest were shattered by these outrageous remarks.
She rolled her eyes dramatically, twitched her cheek muscles, and forced out a cold laugh.
"Saving the world in the previous ninety-nine lifetimes? Song Ze, you're not even bothering to write a draft for your boasts anymore, are you?"
She snatched the apple from his hand, took a big bite, and chewed it forcefully as if in a fit of anger.
"According to your calculations, wouldn't my previous ninety-nine lives have included Nuwa patching up the sky and Pangu creating the world? Wouldn't that make me even more extraordinary than you?"
The tense standoff was shattered.
Bai Lu's hospital gown was soaked with cold sweat, her anger completely dissipated, leaving only the sweet and sour taste of apples in her mouth.
Song Ze pulled over a plastic stool, sat down, and crossed his legs.
Ding dong.
The default ringtone for a WeChat video call came from my phone in my pocket.
He pulled it out, and two big characters flashed on the screen—Yang Mi.
He didn't hide it and pressed the green connect button in front of the two of them.
Video connection successful.
The phone speaker suddenly blared out an extremely noisy environment: the clatter of high heels on the wooden floor, rapid commands in a mix of English and French, and the clicking of cameras.
Yang Mi sat in front of a huge makeup mirror, with big wavy hair, upturned cat-eye eyeliner, and bright red lips.
In the background of the screen, a blonde, blue-eyed supermodel walks by holding a champagne glass; the backstage area of New York Fashion Week is filled with signs in foreign languages.
"At the hospital?"
Yang Mi leaned back in her chair, idly twirling a designer lipstick in her hand.
Song Ze tilted the phone camera down, scanning the hospital bed with its heavy cast on, then pulled it back to his own face.
"Orthopedic ward."
"I had Yu Zheng handle the Bailu matter."
Yang Mi pursed her freshly applied lipstick in front of the mirror.
"Li Qianru will issue a public apology statement within three days. The production team has kept their mouths shut, and all the negative articles circulating online have been removed within half an hour."
She paused for half a second, then changed the subject.
"I've reserved a main table spot for you at the Bazaar Charity Night on the 18th of next month. You dare to stand me up this time? You'd better watch out."
Before Song Ze could reply, the screen flashed and the video call ended.
The entire call lasted less than a minute.
Tian Xiwei clutched the hem of her school uniform skirt and carefully moved half a step toward the hospital bed, lowering her voice.
"Senior sister, was that... Sister Yang Mi?"
Bai Lu precisely tossed the cleaned apple core into the trash can.
"Um."
Tian Xiwei's worldview began to shake violently.
Backstage at New York Fashion Week, a top female star calmly and collectedly delivered a single sentence that bypassed the production team and directors, forcing a rising star to issue a public apology.
So this is how you use ability and connections.
Song Ze ignored the two newcomers' shock. He opened Weibo's trending topics and shoved his phone in front of Bai Lu's face.
The top spot was clearly displayed—Li Qianru apologized to the stunt double on the set.
Click to read the 300-word article.
The content is extremely humble, and all the responsibility is pushed onto the new assistant's lack of understanding. I deeply reflect on my lax management and wish Bailu a speedy recovery. I look forward to future cooperation.
Three minutes before the post was published, tens of thousands of comments had already appeared, with fans from all sides engaging in a fierce online battle.
Bai Lu scrolled through the screen rapidly, reading the comments one by one.
"The fans controlled the comments way too fast! Did they really shift all the blame to the assistant?"
She snorted coldly.
"When that assistant stepped on my lunchbox on set, he was so arrogant, just like his boss. Then when something went wrong, he was used as a sacrifice. Tsk tsk."
The condescending image of Li Qianru replaying in my mind, and the tightness and suffocation in my chest, were swept away by this long, obsequious article.
Song Ze tapped the edge of his phone to draw her attention back.
"See? This is what I mean by 'solving problems'."
He put his phone back in his pocket.
"Stop posting nonsense online using alternate accounts, it's useless. What you need to do is focus on recovering and getting your leg healed."
He pointed to her plaster cast.
"Then take on roles, work tirelessly, and become even more famous than her, so famous that she can't even reach you. So that in the future, whenever she sees you on any red carpet or at any event, she'll have to lower her head and take a detour."
Bai Lu nodded vigorously, which aggravated the nerves in her leg, causing her to gasp in pain and her face contort in agony.
She propped herself up on the blankets with both hands and lay back down.
"Got it. From now on, if anything happens, just call for backup. I'm the biggest resource provider in Xingyao."
Song Ze grabbed the blanket and threw it on her.
"You're spineless. Calling in reinforcements only guarantees a minimum standard; raising the ceiling is up to you."
He dragged a pen from the bedside table and twirled it quickly between his fingers.
"During your recovery period, I will personally tailor a script for you."
The ballpoint pen tapped out a rhythmic beat on the plastic tabletop.
"This isn't a mass-produced historical romance. It's a true female-centric story, pushing tragic aesthetics to the extreme, a script that could easily earn you a Huading Award nomination for Best Actress."
The pain of having bone removed, "Zhou Sheng as Before".
This book originally carved out a bloody path in 2021, causing the entire internet to be heartbroken.
If Bai Lu can successfully portray the character Cui Shiyi in that scene where she leaps from the city tower in a snowy red dress, her acting skills will be highly praised, and she will gain a large following, securing her a place among the top actresses.
"I've decided on the name, it'll be called 'Zhou Sheng Ru Gu'. You'll play the female lead, Cui Shiyi, the only daughter of a prestigious family."
"She was betrothed to the Crown Prince since childhood, and then went to study under the Prince of Nanchen. Guess what?"
Bai Lu immediately followed suit.
"She must have gotten together with her master. Forbidden love is the most exciting."
Song Ze snapped his fingers.
"He was intelligent. But he held considerable military power, which made him a target of fear by the royal family. He made a solemn vow never to marry or have children."
He emphasized his words.
"In the end, he was executed by having his bones removed. And you, wearing a bright red wedding dress, jumped off the city wall."
"In this life, Chen has never failed the world, except for eleven." This is the blood-written letter he left for you in prison.
The ward fell silent instantly.
Bai Lu's mind was filled with images of a bright red wedding dress and heavy snow.
Her optimistic nature gave her goosebumps upon hearing about this extreme tragic aesthetic.
"This book is too harsh."
She swallowed.
"If you act this kind of role well, you'll win over even casual viewers. The Huading Awards judges love this kind of extreme emotional turmoil."
That bit of sadness vanished. She suddenly tilted her head back, her face gleaming with calculating cunning.
"You promised this yourself. I have to be the first to see the script once it's finished."
She stretched out her right index finger and poked twice in mid-air.
"Most importantly, the pay has to be higher. I won't do it for even a penny less."
Song Ze was amused by the situation and threw away his pen.
"He's obsessed with money. The plaster cast hasn't even been paid off yet, and he's already calculating his paycheck. He should just rest and relax."
The exchange between the two completely washed away the tension.
Tian Xiwei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She took out the neatly folded prescription again, held it in both hands, took a big step forward, and stood in front of Song Ze.
"Senior brother, senior sister has the script. What about my task?"
She stood ramrod straight, radiating the extreme hunger of a workaholic, her face practically screaming, "Give me some work, even a minor role is fine."
Song Ze glanced at her from head to toe.
She wore a baggy school uniform, had a high ponytail, and looked innocent and harmless, with two crescent moons when she smiled.
A perfect casing.
"You didn't get your A-level contract for nothing."
His tone was resolute.
"Our first task is to investigate a girl named Wang Churan. She's a senior high school student at the Affiliated High School of Shanghai Opera, and she just won the gold medal for individual performance at the National Middle School Drama Festival last week."
He held up one finger.
"In three days, we found out her school routine and the places she frequented. We tried every possible way to get close to her and make contact. The ultimate goal was to become her close friend with whom she could talk about anything, and to infiltrate her core social circle."
Tian Xiwei was dumbfounded.
Her mouth was slightly open, and she was still holding the note in her hand.
She understood each word of the two instructions, but when put together, they were completely beyond her comprehension.
She had imagined countless scenarios—playing a minor role, acting as a corpse, or even handing out boxed lunches on set.
This is the only one missing.
"Check her movements? Get closer to her?"
She crumpled the prescription into a ball and clutched it tightly in her palm.
"Senior brother, what you're doing is making me..."
She stammered for a moment.
"Playing a spy? Going undercover?"