Sang Wan Ciâs embrace and comfort probably really had the magic of calming someone down. In her arms, Lu Zhi Wei finally had a good sleep.
That messy dream was quickly forgotten.
The next morning, she woke up full of energy and started preparing breakfast for Sang Wan Ci energetically.
Sang Wan Ci was a little baffled: âIs there something youâre happy about?â
âYes.â Lu Zhi Wei was honest. âThanks to you last night, I was able to sleep well. So I must make a good breakfast for you today as thanks.â
After Sang Wan Ci had her breakfast, Zhang Xian Rui would come to pick her up.
If Lu Zhi Wei didnât take this chance to thank her with breakfast, she didnât know when the next chance would be.
Hearing that, Sang Wan Ci asked: âWhat was your nightmare about?â
Lu Zhi Wei didnât answer truthfully, just smiling in reply: âNothing much.â
Sang Wan Ci knew better than to keep asking, reaching out a hand to pat her head: âItâs alright, dreams are the opposite of reality.â
When she was a kid and she had nightmares, that was how her mother comforted her.
Now that she was all grown up, it was her turn to comfort others.
Regardless whether this was true or false, there was still a degree of use to it.
Lu Zhi Wei nodded along: âMm, itâs the opposite.â
The messy dream didnât need to be remembered.
After breakfast, Sang Wan Ci changed into the clothes that she was wearing when she arrived and put on her coat.
She came carefreely and she left carefreely.
Lu Zhi Wei gave her that pair of gray gloves and walked her out.
Zhang Xian Rui came soon after.
The car stopped outside and the door was open, just waiting for Sang Wan Ci to get in.
Just as Sang Wan Ci was about to walk over, she stopped as if she remembered something, then turned to Lu Zhi Wei.
She lifted the bill of her cap and made eye contact with Lu Zhi Wei: âLu Zhi Wei, if you need someone to accompany you in the future, you can call me. Iâll definitely come if I have time.â
Lu Zhi Wei was a good person, she really liked Lu Zhi Wei.
They were friends, and friends should spend time with each other.
Besides, men and women couldnât be too close. Ying Xi Ze would definitely not be able to accompany her, so only Sang Wan Ci could do it.
Her voice was serious and steady, Lu Zhi Wei couldnât help but laugh.
If it was in the past, she wouldnât take it to heart.
When everybody parted ways, they would forget about it immediately.
But it was different now. She was no longer transparent.
âOkay, Iâll remember that.â She smiled. âGo on, work hard.â
Sang Wan Ci pulled her cap lower as she got onto the car and waved at her.
âSee you next time.â
Lu Zhi Wei nodded.
After Zhang Xian Rui closed the door, she walked over and said in a low voice: âThank you for taking care of Wan Ci these few days.â
Not only was Sang Wan Ci unharmed, she was glowing with happiness. It was clear that she had a good rest at Lu Zhi Weiâs home.
Compared to letting her run amok outside, Zhang Xian Rui would certain prefer letting her stay with Lu Zhi Wei.
Not only could she get some rest, there wasnât any danger, so why not?
Zhang Xian Rui took out a name card and said: âIâll reimburse you for the expenses incurred while she was staying at your place.â
Lu Zhi Wei hurriedly waved her hands: âNo need, I didnât spend a lot, so you donât have to give me anything. Itâs just an additional person at home. Weâre all friends, so itâs fine.â
Zhang Xian Rui raised an eyebrow.
She wouldnât interfere with Sang Wan Ci making friends.
As long as they didnât have ulterior motives, as long as it wasnât a close male friend, everything was fine.
Someone like Lu Zhi Wei was good.
She wouldnât cheat Sang Wan Ci.
She wasnât a man who would use flowery words and promises to trick someone into a relationship.
She was a harmless jiejie to Sang Wan Ci.
âAlright, you should go back in. Itâs cold out, weâll head off first.â Zhang Xian Rui said.
Lu Zhi Wei nodded and pulled her coat tighter around her as she turned around and walked off.
After Zhang Xian Rui got in the car, she wound down the window and looked outside for a moment.
As if she was looking in the direction Lu Zhi Wei had left in.
And as if she was looking at the housing estate.
Sang Wan Ciâs gaze moved from her and the car window, then she asked: âZhang jie, what are you looking at?â
She was worried Zhang Xian Rui didnât like Lu Zhi Wei.
Worried that Zhang Xian Rui felt that Lu Zhi Wei was someone with ulterior motives.
Zhang Xian Rui looked away and wound up the window as she assessed the situation: âYour friendâs house isnât very secure, there isnât even a competent security guard around.â
Hearing that, Sang Wan Ci looked in the direction of Lu Zhi Weiâs home silently.
â¦
After sending off Sang Wan Ci, Lu Zhi Wei went back to her rented apartment alone.
She wasnât used to it when Sang Wan Ci came.
Now that Sang Wan Ci had left, she wasnât used to it either.
It was certainly a mysterious thing, the interaction between people.
Lucky Lao Wu was still around to accompany her.
Although he couldnât be by her side, at least he could talk to her.
Once she got home, Lao Wu came out and said in a praising manner: ãYou two were getting along well these few days.ã
He analysed it rationally: ãIf you two can continue developing like this, repairing the protagonistsâ relationship line is not far off.ã
ââ¦â¦â
Lu Zhi Wei: âWake up, this is friendship, not love.
âIf the relationship youâre talking about is friendship, then I can fix it tomorrow!â
ãYou can do it even if itâs not friendship.ã
Lao Wu encouraged her.
ãLu Zhi Wei canât say she canât.ã
Lu Zhi Wei: âI canât.â
Sang Wan Ci had her own way of thinking, and it wasnât easy to figure it out.
Besides, she couldnât think of anything that she had at the moment that was worthy of Sang Wan Ci falling for her.
She felt that the person who could move Sang Wan Ci had to be the most excellent and outstanding person in the world.
She didnât even think that most people would be worthy of Sang Wan Ci.
Lao Wu: ãWhat are you worried about, you have the male protagonist halo, your starting point is better than anybody else.
ãWork hard and leave the rest to the male protagonist halo.ã
Lu Zhi Wei pouted.
She felt like something was wrong in her heart, but she couldnât put her finger on it.
But if she couldnât put her finger on it, then there was no point deliberating over it right now.
She asked curiously: âAnyway, donât you guys need to celebrate the new year?â
She had stopped working, but Lao Wu was still at his workstation.
She was on vacation, but Lao Wu was still at his workstation.
It was the third day of the new year, but Lao Wu was still at his workstation.
She was beginning to suspect that the system had to work all year round with no breaks, wasnât that the dreadful â007â[1]!
No, this was even worse, this was â00365â!
Lao Wu was calm: ãWeâre from another planet, we donât follow Earthâs customs.ã
Lu Zhi Wei was shocked: ãOh! Youâre an alien? There really are aliens in this world? How surprising.ã
After that, she suddenly thought of her situation then calmed down.
ãOh, my situation is pretty surprising too.ã
First a transparent entity, then the male protagonist.
People who werenât in the know would think they were filming a television show.
But she was still curious about Lao Wu, this alien, and she couldnât help but activate her curious mode.
âWhat do you look like?â
ãThe same as you.ã
âOh, then arenât there any areas that are different? Like your nose might be super long, or your mouth is really big?â
ãNo, we look the same externally, but our lives are longer than yours, much longer.ã
âWow, Iâm envious. Then the person you like is an alien too?â
ãMm.ã
âOh, then thatâs good. When you guys get together in the future, you wonât have to worry about mismatched life expectancies.â
Hearing this, Lao Wu looked at the serious lady on the screen and couldnât help but laugh.
ãWhy are you suddenly thinking of us getting together?ã
Lu Zhi Wei hung up her coat: âBecause you havenât given up, and youâre still chasing after her.
âOnce she accomplishes her dream and slows down, I believe youâll catch up to her.â
ãMaybe.ã
Lao Wu actually didnât have much hope.
He just liked her and kept on liking her. He didnât want to give up even though she didnât feel anything for him.
Because she was really too good in his heart.
Even if she wouldnât agree, he was willing to continue liking her silently, working hard and trying to become even better for her.
Because he liked her, so he would work hard to become a better person for her, wasnât this the meaning of liking someone?
âDonât be depressed.â
Lu Zhi Wei opened the Wikipedia page for the original male lead, Qiu Luo, and changed the topic.
âYou still havenât told me what her name is.â
ãBai Zhi.ãMentioning the name of the person in his heart, Lao Wuâs smile became softer. ãDoesnât it sound nice?ã
Lu Zhi Wei replied without thinking: âMm, itâs nice.â
Putting aside the fact that the name âBai Zhiâ was nice.
Even if she wasnât called Bai Zhi, with Lao Wuâs love filter, no matter what she was called, Lao Wu would certainly think it was nice.
Lao Wu asked what she was doing.
She replied: âOh, Wan Ci said Qiu Luo is the male lead for ãQuestioning Deity Sectã, and as someone whoâs acting in it, I have to check out his information first.â
Qiu Luo was called a âfamous productâ by his fans because of his handsome looks.
At the moment, he didnât have much television shows to his name with just a single idol drama and a few variety shows.
He was a year older than Sang Wan Ci, and the two of them debuted in the same year.
They both had extraordinary good looks, so they stood out in the bunch of new actors. There were plenty of people online who shipped them together and made couple fan videos, hoping they would work together on a show.
Lu Zhi Wei propped up her face with one hand as she scrolled with the other.
Qiu Luo and Sang Wan Ci were supposed to work together on a show.
But because the female protagonist didnât follow the script.
So now the male actor who collaborated with Sang Wan Ci first became the sand sculpture second male lead, Ying Xi Ze.
Keeping her phone away, Lu Zhi Wei supported her face with both hands as she started thinking.
When ãPhoenixã comes out, would Sang Wan Ci and Ying Xi Zeâs couple fans be more than Sang Wan Ci and Qiu Luoâs?
Maybe.
After all, the two of them had plenty of chemistry when they were filming.
A main couple without chemistry was a failure.
Being able to have chemistry when acting meant the actors already had a quarter of success.
ââ Her idol Meng Lian Yu thought so, and she did too.
Seeing his silly daughter in a daze, Lao Wu asked: ãWhat are you thinking about?ã
Lu Zhi Wei came back to her senses and voiced out her thoughts.
ãâ¦â¦ã
Lao Wu held his forehead speechlessly.
ãAs the male protagonist, youâre not thinking if the female protagonist and you have couple fans. What are you thinking about the second male lead and the female lead for?ã
Lu Zhi Wei said reasonably: âIâm just a small maid in the show, what couple fans can we have?
âIf you say the female lead and second female lead have couple fans, that would be more reasonable than me!â
Lao Wu squinted: ãYou underestimate yourself.
ãAs someone who watched the entire filming process, I really do think that if you and Sang Wan Ci donât act in a same sex show, itâs a waste.
ãBesides, if there really was a same sex movie, would you be willing to film it?ã
âOf course.â Lu Zhi Wei answered without a second thought as her eyes shone. âThen Iâll also have a chance to be the female lead.â
From the moment she stepped into the entertainment circle, her roles had been incredibly small. It was only Xiao Heâs role that had been a bit bigger.
But as an actor, who didnât want to be the lead actor?
In the past, she had no choice. It was good enough that she had a role.
Now that she had the chance to progress, she would certainly have ambition.
After all, her dream was to become an excellent actress that everybody liked, like Meng Lian Yu.
Seeing her shining eyes, Lao Wu suddenly was left silent.
What sort of bad intentions could a child who was once a transparent entity have?
She just wanted to stand under the light and let the world see her.
ãThere will be that day.ã
Lao Wu said.
â¦â¦
After celebrating the new year happily, people had to go back to their normal lives.
ãQuestioning Deity Sectã was due to start filming in the middle of March.
Before that, the unknown newcomer Lu Zhi Wei had to film the show that Wen Yao had fought to get for her.
It was a role that just needed to show her face a few times, so she didnât need to stay in the crew for too long.
She wasnât upset about it.
Wen Yao was a small manager and her resources were limited too.
Being able to help her get the audition chance for ãQuestioning Deity Sectã and Xiao Heâs role was already very good.
Besides, smaller roles were also useful for training Lu Zhi Weiâs acting skills.
She was enthusiastic, and so was Wen Yao.
She would encourage and motivate her, becoming a living and walking encouragement person.
Sometimes when Lu Zhi Wei saw her, it was rather funny.
Wen Yao and Sang Wan Ciâs manager was different.
She had the sense of youthfulness and vigor, like someone who had just entered the workforce.
She also wanted to become a mature, reliable presence like the experienced managers, so that her artist could trust her wholeheartedly and believe she could do anything.
But sometimes, she would fail in pretending to be mature.
Every time that happened, Lu Zhi Wei would look at her and see a small child who was tiptoeing, pretending to be a grownup.
It was cute and impossible for people to blame her.
They had just finished another scene today.
Wen Yao was driving Lu Zhi Wei home as she suddenly asked: âZhi Wei jie, do you regret being assigned to me?â
She was inexperienced and had limited resources, she couldnât give her artists much.
But Lu Zhi Wei always listened to her and followed her arrangements enthusiastically, making her feel a little guilty.
If only she was a big manager like Zhang Xian Rui, then she would definitely arrange for the rest resources for Lu Zhi Wei!
Lu Zhi Wei smiled and asked: âWhy would I regret it?â
Wen Yao said guiltily: âBecause Iâm a new manager, I canât get any resource I want like Zhang Xian Ruiâ¦â¦â
Lu Zhi Wei said warmly: âIâm a new person too, isnât it very normal to not have resources?â
âWhatâs wrong with you today, why are you suddenly so despondent?â
Wen Yao stopped at the traffic light and sighed: âI just feel guilty. If only I was a big manager, then you wouldnât have to act in these small rolesâ¦â¦â
She felt like it was waste of Lu Zhi Weiâs talent.
Lu Zhi Wei had the skills, she shouldnât just be acting in these small roles.
Lu Zhi Wei comforted her: âEven the big managers slowly made their way there. Like Manager Zhang, did she have thousands of resources once she entered the industry? Didnât she also slowly make her way to her success now?â
She reached out a hand and patted Wen Yaoâs shoulder: âItâs the same for you now. Youâre taking one step at a time. Believe in yourself, as long as you work hard enough, youâll become successful like her.â
Then she turned around to look at her and said softly: âItâs the same for me. As long as I work hard, there will be returns.
âEven if there arenât, I wonât regret it, because at least I dared to try.â
To her, having tried and failed was a hundred times better than standing still and stagnant.
The former at least had the experience of trying and the lessons learnt.
Wen Yao was infected by her smile and slowly cheered up.
Thatâs right. Not everybody succeeds at the start, or life would be too easy.
âZhi Wei jie, your attitude is so good, youâll definitely be successful!â She said enthusiastically.
Even if she wasnât very successful, with that kind of attitude, she would live well!
She had to work hard too and get more resources for Lu Zhi Wei!
â¦â¦
Spring came back in March, with everything blooming back to life.
Tender new leaves sprouted from the branches of trees.
The initial spring in An City might not be as cold as winter, but it was still cold.
A jacket had to be worn in the day, and warm coats had to be worn at night.
If she wasnât filming, Lu Zhi Wei wouldnât go out at night, staying at home and keeping warm.
After the new year, Sang Wan Ciâs schedule started filling up.
Lu Zhi Wei felt like her schedule was never ending, because when they would chat, Sang Wan Ci would leave to go film and only reply in the middle of the night sometimes.
Lao Wu even felt moved seeing it.
Lu Zhi Wei: â?â
Whatâs there to be moved about???
Lao Wu: ãThe female lead is working hard to be the best, canât this system administrator be moved?ã
If Lu Zhi Wei and Sang Wan Ci could heal the world line, then he could knock off and take a break.
The world line not only contained the protagonistsâ relationship line, but also their career lines.
Even though the female protagonist Sang Wan Ci didnât follow the script, but at least when it came to work, she was never slacking off. Wasnât it enough for him to be moved?
ãYou have to work hard too, male protagonist!ã
Lu Zhi Wei: ââ¦â¦â
That might be a bit toughâ¦â¦
The original male protagonist Qiu Luo came from a wealthy family and the company he joined was part of the family business. He already had half the race done from the start.
It was clear what sort of resources he had from the beginning.
But Lu Zhi Wei wasnât the same.
She had a standard family, and her parents didnât love her. She had to rely on herself to climb step by step, it was destined to be slower than Qiu Luoâs career.
Speaking of which, she didnât know what sort of role the original male protagonist had now.
A passerby?
A common second male lead?
A special second male lead?
According to the ridiculous experiences over this period of time, her brain suddenly got stuck with a bold and outrageous idea.
Maybeâ¦â¦ the second female lead?
Lu Zhi Wei: ââ¦â¦â
No.
Donât do that.
She was starting to worry!
â¦â¦
Before entering the crew for ãQuestioning Deity Sectã, Sang Wan Ci had a few days to rest.
She was busy working at home, looking at the script and analysing the character.
If her father called, then she would take the time to quarrel with her father, neither of them giving in.
Then after that, she would call her teacher to ask for help with her acting.
âYouâre entering the crew soon.â The womanâs mature voice came from the other end, sounding relaxed.
Sang Wan Ci sat in front of her window, her gaze far in the distance.
The night sky was filled with stars, shining and twinkling.
âMm.â She replied.
The teacher on the phone laughed: âI heard youâre acting with the male actor who debuted with you?
âIâve seen plenty of your couple videos on the web.
âHow is it, is there a spark?â
The air of gossip suddenly descended.
Sang Wan Ci: ââ¦â¦â
She replied decisively: âThereâs no spark, I donât like him. Work is more important.â
The teacher smiled at her answer.
âOur Wan Ci is all grown up. Youâre career-minded, thatâs good.
âOh yes, where did you spend the New Year at?â
âA friendâs home.â
Mentioning Lu Zhi Wei, Sang Wan Ciâs voice got softer.
âHer cookingâs good.
âHer house isnât big, but itâs nicely decorated and warm.â
Ever since she spent the New Year at Lu Zhi Weiâs house, she started feeling like her own house was too cold.
Although it was big, it wasnât as warm and cozy as Lu Zhi Weiâs house.
No, the most important factor was still Lu Zhi Wei.
Without Lu Zhi Wei, that house was just an ordinary house.
From her warm tone, her teacher could easily tell how much she liked this friend, so she smiled: âIs she good?â
Sang Wan Ci said: âVery good.â
Her teacher replied: âThen thatâs good. Itâs a good thing you can make a friend, Iâm happy for you.â
Sang Wan Ci continued: âShe worked with me. She has roles in last yearâs ãPhoenixã and this yearâs ãQuestioning Deity Sectã.â
Her teacher exclaimed in surprise: âOh? The same industry? Then when it airs, Iâll have to take a good look at your friend.â
Sang Wan Ci: âMm.â
Sang Wan Ci suddenly recalled what happened during the New Year.
She thought of Lu Zhi Wei hugging the pillow and staring at Meng Lian Yu excitedly.
At that moment, Lu Zhi Weiâs eyes looked like there were stars hidden in them.
She recalled Lu Zhi Weiâs âI like them allâ.
And she fell silent, considering how much this âlikeâ was.
It felt likeâ¦â¦ it wasnât just a typical like?
âSheâ¦â¦â Sang Wan Ci said hesitantly.
âMm?â Her teacher asked. âWhat?â
Sang Wan Ci said slowly: âShe seems to like you a lot.â
âReally?â
Meng Lian Yu laughed.
âAnd Teacher Ji Feng.â Sang Wan Ci continued slowly.
Meng Lian Yu ran her hand through her hair, saying: âHa, Ji Fengâs charm is still there. He used to have a lot of fans in the past. I didnât think that at 40, he would still be able to get young girls to like him.â
Sang Wan Ci chuckled: âShe seems to like you more.â
Meng Lian Yu swept her hair to the side: âOf course, itâs expected. How can Ji Feng, that singer, compare to such a mature beauty as me.â
ââ Sorry, beautiful women are just that confident.
After Meng Lian Yu was done being narcissictic, she looked at the time and realised it was late: âAlright, hurry and sleep. If your dad knew I was still calling you at this time, he would say Iâm disturbing your sleep and be upset at me again.
âYou know how he is, that black face he pulls when heâs upset, tsk.
âIâm hanging up now, sleep early, goodnight.â
âMm.â
Sang Wan Ciâs voice was light and soft, infused with pleasing obedience.
âGoodnight, Aunty.â