lovenovelstory Chapter 38: The Micro Era Launches, Targeting Dilraba
Chapter 38: The Micro Era Launches, Targeting Dilraba
Guan Shengbai was speechless for a moment.
Looking at Yang Mi, whose eyes were filled with a strange excitement, I guessed that this girl might have inexplicably awakened some strange attributes after what happened in the bathroom that night.
Yang Mi felt a little guilty under his "I can see right through you" gaze, but she refused to admit defeat. She puffed out her chest and glared back defiantly, her big eyes filled with a shameless "I just want to touch you, so what?" attitude.
"What are you looking at?"
She lowered her voice, her tone tinged with embarrassment and anger, "It's not like I haven't touched it before."
Guan Shengbai raised an eyebrow, about to say something, when suddenly footsteps came from the corridor outside the elevator, along with the voices of several people.
Yang Mi immediately chickened out.
With lightning speed, she withdrew her hand from Guan Shengbai's chest and took a half step back. Her movements were so fast that they could have been in an action movie.
Guan Shengbai looked down at the collar of his shirt, which she had crumpled up, and then looked up at her.
Yang Mi's face had already put on an innocent expression that said "I didn't do anything," and she even reached out to straighten his collar, her movements as gentle as if she were taking care of a child.
"Let's go, let's go, the elevator's here."
She pushed Guan Shengbai's back and led him into the elevator, her tone filled with impatience.
Guan Shengbai was pushed into the elevator by her, and turned around to look at her.
Yang Mi followed him in, pressed the button for the first floor, and then stood next to him.
The elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out the footsteps and voices in the corridor.
The elevator car began to descend slowly.
Yang Mi secretly glanced at Guan Shengbai out of the corner of her eye.
The man was leaning against the elevator wall, looking at her with a half-smile.
"What are you laughing at?"
Yang Mi felt uncomfortable under his gaze and couldn't help but speak up.
"It's nothing."
Guan Shengbai shrugged, shifting his gaze from her face to the row of numbers flashing on the elevator floor display screen.
Yang Mi always felt that his "it's nothing" contained a thousand words, but she was too embarrassed to ask.
The elevator space was not large to begin with, and the two people stood side by side with their arms almost touching.
Yang Mi smelled the faint scent of cologne on him, and her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
She recalled the scene in the bathroom that night.
His lips, his hands, and the stinging and tingling sensation of that bite on his chest.
The tips of her ears turned slightly red.
No.
Yang Mi said to herself.
This is a company building; there are security cameras in the elevator, so you can't do anything reckless.
But her gaze still kept drifting towards Guan Shengbai.
Today, the man was wearing a dark gray shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a section of his sleek wrist.
The shirt hem was tucked into the waistband, outlining a narrow yet strong waistline.
Yang Mi swallowed.
She took a small step forward, using Guan Shengbai's tall frame to block the blind spot of the surveillance camera, and then quietly reached out and gently brushed her fingertips against his chest.
Through the fabric of the shirt, she could feel the firm muscles underneath.
Guan Shengbai looked down at her.
Yang Mi turned her head away as if nothing had happened, but her fingers still lingered on his chest.
Guan Shengbai neither dodged nor made a sound, but simply looked down at her, the smile on his lips deepening.
The numbers on the elevator floor display screen were still changing.
Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen.
Yang Mi drew circles on his chest with her fingers, her movements becoming increasingly audacious.
Thirteen, twelve, eleven.
She even started poking his abs with her fingers.
Ten, nine, eight, seven.
The elevator is almost at the first floor.
Yang Mi finally tried to pull her hand back, reluctantly.
However, just as her fingers were about to leave his chest, Guan Shengbai suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Yang Mi was stunned for a moment.
Then she felt her hand being pressed back onto his chest.
Beneath his palms was a warm body temperature, and beneath his fingertips was his steady and powerful heartbeat.
Yang Mi froze completely.
At the same time, the number on the elevator display screen jumped to one.
With a "ding," the elevator doors began to slowly slide open.
Yang Mi's pupils suddenly contracted.
The lobby is outside the elevator doors.
There were reception staff, employees coming and going, and visiting guests in the lobby.
Her hand was firmly pressed against Guan Shengbai's chest.
As long as the elevator doors are fully open, anyone who glances over will see Yang Mi "flirting" with a newcomer in her studio.
Yang Mi's face instantly turned bright red, the redness spreading from her forehead all the way to the base of her neck.
She tried her best to pull her hand back, but Guan Shengbai's grip was much stronger than she had imagined, and it wouldn't budge.
The elevator doors are now fully open.
Yang Mi's heart was about to jump out of her throat.
She was even prepared to be pointed at and gossiped about by the entire company tomorrow.
I was prepared to be photographed by paparazzi and have my picture trending on Weibo for three days, and I was prepared to be scolded by Zeng Jia.
However, there was no one outside the elevator.
The lobby was quiet, and the front desk staff were looking down at their computer screens.
Several visitors were sitting on a sofa in the distance, flipping through magazines, and no one noticed the commotion in the elevator lobby.
Guan Shengbai then casually released his grip.
Yang Mi withdrew her mischievous hand as quickly as lightning, took a big step back, and slammed her back against the elevator wall with a dull thud.
What are you doing?!
Her voice rose half an octave, tinged with guilt and embarrassment.
"It's nothing."
Guan Shengbai's voice was unhurried, and his face still wore that ambiguous smile.
"It's just to see if some people have the desire but not the courage."
Yang Mi stared at him, her lips moving several times, but she couldn't utter a single word.
What could she say?
You said you touched me first?
She struck first.
You said you weren't allowed to hold my hand?
She was the one who first rubbed and poked his chest.
Yang Mi took a deep breath, trying her best to restore her usual calm and composed expression.
She stepped out of the elevator, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor.
But after taking only a couple of steps, her legs started to feel weak.
That tingling, numbing sensation that seeped into my bones was exactly the same as what I felt in the bathroom stall that night.
She even felt that her walking posture was a little off.
"Senior sister."
Guan Shengbai's voice came from behind.
Yang Mi paused, but didn't turn around.
"You're walking with your legs crossed."
Yang Mi glanced down at her hands and feet, took a deep breath, adjusted her pace, and then walked towards the lobby entrance without looking back.
Guan Shengbai followed behind her, his steps steady and unhurried.
Before leaving the building's lobby, Guan Shengbai and Yang Mi brushed past Li Yifeng.
Li Yifeng greeted Yang Mi, his senior, with some restraint.
"Good evening, Honey."
At this moment, Yang Mi's face was now adorned with an impeccable, kind smile as she nodded to her unfamiliar colleague.
Li Yifeng glanced at Guan Shengbai beside him with some curiosity, seemingly wondering who this man standing next to Yang Mi was.
After all, Guan Shengbai's appearance and demeanor don't seem like those of someone who is just Yang Mi's assistant.
Guan Shengbai smiled politely and nodded, and the two then passed each other.
But Li Yifeng eventually turned around as if sensing something, watching the tall figure walk out of the building and into the distance, feeling a vague sense of loss.
"Ah Feng, what are you looking at?"
His agent looked at him with some curiosity.
"Who's that person next to Sister Honey?"
His agent, surnamed Li, also known as "Ms. L," shrugged. "I heard she's a newcomer signed to Sister Mi's studio, the one who rumored to have hit Ke Teng..."
"Oh! Him!"
Li Yifeng suddenly realized, and immediately felt a strange sense of superiority.
It turns out he was just an unknown newcomer...
It's likely that Li Yifeng at this moment had little idea that this seemingly polite and kind peer had quietly stolen away the greatest opportunity of his life.
......
......
In January, it gets dark early in Beijing. The streetlights are already on, casting a dim yellow light on the concrete surface of the parking lot.
Yang Mi stood on the steps and glanced back at Guan Shengbai.
The blush on her face had not completely faded, and a hint of springtime still lingered in the corners of her eyes, but her expression had regained some of its usual shrewdness and sharpness.
"You owe me a huge favor for that role."
She crossed her arms, raised her chin slightly, and spoke with a deliberately affected air.
Guan Shengbai nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Thank you, Senior Sister."
Yang Mi stared at him for several seconds, then snorted through her nose.
"You talk a good game, but I don't know who bullied me just now."
After she finished speaking, her ears turned red, and she quickly took out her car keys from her bag and walked towards the parking lot.
"I send you."
"Need not."
Guan Shengbai waved to her, "I'll take a taxi back."
Yang Mi stopped and looked back at him, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing.
She nodded and turned to walk towards her car.
Guan Shengbai watched her figure disappear around the corner of the parking lot before wrapping his coat tighter and walking towards the entrance of the residential area.
The cold wind blowing on his face suppressed some of the inexplicable heat in his heart.
The relationship between him and Yang Mi seems to be developing in an increasingly uncontrollable direction.
But to be honest, he didn't dislike the feeling.
In some ways, it's quite interesting.
Yang Mi is the woman he has known the longest in this world. Now the two of them are working side by side in the entertainment industry. Their relationship is as complicated as an overturned palette, with every color mixed in.
There is the bond between teachers and students, the loyalty between friends, the affection between siblings, and also a subtle, ambiguous relationship.
Guan Shengbai never thought that ambiguity was a bad thing.
He simply didn't want this ambiguity to affect their cooperative relationship.
In the entertainment industry, a place of fame and fortune, feelings are the least valuable thing, and also the easiest vulnerability to be used as a weapon.
In his past life, he had seen too many examples of people turning against each other because of emotional entanglements, and he had also personally dealt with many public images that collapsed because of scandals.
Therefore, he understands better than anyone else that staying clear-headed is more important than anything else in this industry.
However, Yang Mi doesn't seem to care much about feelings or anything like that.
This woman's only thought is that she's lusting after his body.
Guan Shengbai thought of this and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
However, these are all minor details.
The most important thing right now is still the upcoming "Gu Jian Qi Tan".
After leaving Zeng Jia's office, Guan Shengbai's plan for the role of Baili Tusu was now perfectly accomplished.
Zeng Jia nodded, and Yang Mi also agreed to help him get it. As long as Zeng Jia personally went to talk to Zhong Junyan, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Based on his calculations, he is 98% confident that he can secure the role of Baili Tusu.
As for why Chung Chung-yin wasn't 100% certain even after nodding in agreement...
That's because in the "Demon Lord System" panel, the progress of the side quest "Devour Luck" is still at 35%, and it hasn't progressed.
Guan Shengbai speculated that things would only be truly settled after he was fully involved in the production team.
After all, there are many instances in the entertainment industry where roles have been agreed upon, and actors have even appeared at the press conference for the start of filming, only to have their roles snatched away at the last minute.
A recent example is Yang Mi, who is standing next to Guan Shengbai at this moment.
This happened not too long ago, just a year ago.
At that time, Yang Mi already had the brilliant achievement of "Palace" and had jumped from a second- or even third-tier actress to a hot first-tier actress.
At that time, she was the youngest member of the so-called "Teddy Sisters".
Qin Lan, the eldest sister of the "Teddy Sisters," had extensive resources in the film industry, thanks to her boyfriend Lu Chuan, a famous director whose reputation was not yet ruined at the time.
At the time, Lu Chuan was preparing to film a top-tier production called "The Last Supper," and Qin Lan recommended Yang Mi, who was very popular at the time, to Lu Chuan, hoping that her sister could also make an appearance in this film by a famous director.
Yang Mi also went to try on makeup, had dinner with the director, and even hinted to the media that her next project would be Lu Chuan's "The Last Supper".
The results of it?
Just before filming was about to begin, the role was snatched away by someone else.
The person who snatched the prize was none other than Huo Siyan, another member of the Teddy Sisters group.
This woman was known in the industry for her connections, having the backing of Huayi Brothers, which was not yet in complete decline at the time.
Although she's not as famous as Yang Mi, her cunning and influence through whispered words are far superior.
It is said that Huo Siyan did not even go to the audition, but just had a few meals with some people, and got the role that originally belonged to Yang Mi.
Yang Mi was furious at the time and posted a suggestive comment on Weibo: "Some people are two-faced."
Later, there were even rumors that Yang Mi slapped that woman on set.
But both sides quickly refuted the rumors.
The seemingly united but actually disunited "Teddy Sisters" group has since fallen apart.
But as angry as she was, what could she do when the role had already been taken from her?
During that period, Yang Mi was in a very bad state, so bad that even her own team was worried that her emotional problems would affect her subsequent work.
Fortunately, the long-tail effect of the huge success of "Palace" helped her stabilize her position and made her a hot A-list actress, which can be considered a blessing in disguise.
This matter has spread widely within the industry, and almost everyone knows that Yang Mi and Huo Siyan have a grudge against each other.
Guan Shengbai was familiar with the details of this matter.
In his past life, he had handled many similar cases of resource disputes, and he had seen even more outrageous ones.
In the entertainment industry, it's hardly news that one actor gets a role stolen by another.
Every film crew is playing out the same drama, but no one wants to talk about it openly.
So even now that Chung Chung-yin has agreed...
Zeng Jia had already agreed, and Yang Mi had also given her assurance, but Guan Shengbai still remained cautious.
Until the very last moment, no one can say for sure that the role will be theirs.
As he walked through the gates of the Jinmao Mansion residential complex, he was thinking about all of this.
The security guard at the entrance nodded to him, and he returned the greeting.
As the elevator went upstairs, he mentally planned his next steps.
Kong Sheng has already agreed to the plan of concentrated filming, which means that he can basically finish filming all of Fang Mengwei's scenes by June, starting from when he joins the crew in March.
It will seamlessly connect with "Swords of Legends" at that time. The crew will start filming in July or August and finish filming at the end of the year, which is just the right time.
Prior to this, Zeng Jia had made a request: two days later, she would go to the Shanghai Theatre Academy with Yang Mi and Zeng Jia.
The reason is simple: after Yang Mi's studio was affiliated with Huanrui, they finally got to produce their own web series.
Micro Era.
The purpose of this trip was to select actors for this web series.