I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

In a flash, a figure entered my mind—Cheng Sheng.

All the changes in her appearance and complexion began precisely after she started frequently interacting with Cheng Sheng.

People always say that love can nourish a woman and make her radiant, but she never took it seriously.

If love can preserve youth, she and Chen Kai have been together for many years and should be getting younger. How can she be aging?
Suddenly, an ambiguous whisper appeared in my ear.

After their passionate encounter, Cheng Sheng once jokingly said, "Drinking my milk can keep a woman young and make her more delicate."

I used to think it was just a joke between lovers, but now I realize that this is the only explanation that can make sense of all the abnormalities.

Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Chen Hong calmly collected all her thoughts and spoke in a flat tone to cover up her unease: "No need to apologize. It's just that Xu Fan and I recently found a high-end beauty salon. Their customized skincare products are extremely effective. After consistently using them for a period of time, my complexion has naturally improved a lot."

"When did you become so close to Xu Fan?" Chen Kai keenly caught the key point and casually asked.

“Just recently,” Chen Hong said candidly, half-jokingly, “After spending time together, we found that we had similar interests and temperaments, and we got along very well. Before long, we became good sisters.”

She wasn't lying, but she concealed the true reason for their friendship—they shared a secret concern and a person they secretly admired: Cheng Sheng.

After a brief silence, Chen Kaige finally couldn't help but ask the question that was on his mind most, his tone somewhat urgent: "Have you heard from Xu Fan why Cheng Sheng wrote a script specifically for Feng Dapao?"

Chen Hong was slightly taken aback.

She naturally knew the whole story, but this was an opportunity that Xu Fan had obtained at great cost, and it was a secret that absolutely could not be told to outsiders.

But she couldn't deny everything at this moment, otherwise her previous claim of goodwill would fall apart.

After a moment's thought, she feigned hesitation and said, "I did hear Sister Xu mention it casually."

Chen Kai's eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly asked, "What did she say? Tell me quickly."

"I can tell you, but you must promise never to tell anyone else." Chen Hong pretended to be serious and solemnly instructed, "Once it gets out, Xu Fan and I will have a complete falling out, and our sisterly relationship will be over."

"Don't worry, I will keep my mouth shut and won't say a word to anyone else," Chen Kaige immediately and solemnly agreed.

Chen Hong slowly began, laying the groundwork: "Do you remember when Cheng Sheng came back from abroad a while ago?"

Chen Kai thought for a moment and instantly remembered: "I remember! I was filming in Hong Kong at the time. It was reported in the news that he suddenly returned to China without informing anyone. He stayed in China for only three days before hurriedly returning. Could it be that something happened during those three days?"

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Hong interrupted him, revealing the answer: "You guessed right. It was during those three days that Xu Fan took the initiative to find Cheng Sheng and spent a lot of effort to get this script opportunity, so that he agreed to tailor-make an award-winning script for Feng Dapao."

"You begged for it?" Chen Kai was shocked and blurted out, "Did Xu Fan offer himself up for the script?"

Chen Hong's heart skipped a beat, and she almost lost her composure.

She never expected Chen Kai's intuition to be so accurate, hitting the nail on the head. She quickly forced herself to calm down and feigned sarcasm, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about? Even if Xu Fan is willing to lower herself and offer herself, how could a young, outstanding, and handsome man like Cheng Sheng be interested in a woman who is his elder? That's absurd." "That's true."

Chen Kai nodded slightly, jokingly reassuring himself: "I was overthinking it. With Cheng Sheng's talent, fame, and looks, what kind of woman wouldn't he want? Countless young and beautiful female artists in the industry would fight tooth and nail to get close to him and climb the ladder. He has no need to be interested in someone as young as Xu Fan."

Hearing his self-righteous judgment, Chen Hong felt a pang of guilt, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

It has to be said that Chen Kai's prediction in this matter was nothing short of divine.

Cheng Sheng happens to have a particular fondness for mature and gentle older women.

His official girlfriend, Zeng Li, is seven years older than him, and he and Xu Fan are more than a full twelve years older than him. Even Li Xiaoran, with whom he has been rumored to be dating, is the mature type.

Looking at the clueless Chen Kaige in front of her, Chen Hong thought to herself: Cheng Sheng doesn't have the surname Cao, but his hobbies are exactly the same as those of the ancients. I wonder how many married women in the industry he will attract in the future.

Suppressing her chaotic thoughts, she listened quietly to Chen Kaige's plans.

“Ah Hong, could you ask Xu Fan how he managed to persuade Cheng Sheng?” Chen Kai’s eyes were fervent and full of ambition: “If possible, we should do the same and try to get Cheng Sheng to write another script for me.”

"Blue Is the Warmest Color" has already brought him to the top of Venice and endless glory.

If he can get a custom script from Cheng Sheng and compete for the Berlin and Cannes awards, he will be able to achieve a grand slam of best films at the three major European film festivals, completely surpassing Zhang Yimou and securing his position as the number one director in China.

Chen Hong saw through his greedy thoughts at a glance, and her heart was filled with contempt and ridicule.

That's a nice thought, but Cheng Sheng is willing to help Feng Dapao because of Xu Fan's contributions and friendship.

Now that she already belongs to Cheng Sheng, how could she let Chen Kaige take advantage of Cheng Sheng again and fulfill his ambitions for nothing?
Even if Chen Kaige is her husband in name only, there is absolutely no way she could be with him.

She feigned sincerity and tried to dissuade him: "Old Chen, I advise you not to overthink it. Cheng Sheng helped you once, which was already an exception. He can't keep doing things for you unconditionally. He owns a film and television company and has a bunch of directors under his wing who need support. It's only natural that he would prioritize giving good scripts to his own people. How could he keep letting them flow to outsiders?"

These words struck a nerve with Chen Kaige, whose expression shifted several times, filled with resentment.

What he fears most is not not getting a new script, but that Feng Xiaogang will once again achieve legendary status and win international awards with Cheng Sheng's new script.

If this comes true, the outside world will inevitably conclude that Chen Kaige's Venice trophy was entirely due to Cheng Sheng's script and had nothing to do with his own ability. At that time, all his glory will become a joke.

After thinking for a long time, he looked up at Chen Hong, his tone pleading: "Hong, you and Cheng Sheng are from the same hometown and have always had a good relationship. Could you think of a way to quietly sabotage this matter and prevent Feng Dapao from getting the script?"

Chen Hong gave a cold laugh, her eyes full of indifference: "He and I are just ordinary fellow townsmen. How could I have such a big influence that I could influence his decisions with my pillow? You overestimate me."

Seeing her cold attitude and obvious unwillingness to help, Chen Kai immediately changed his mind and softened his attitude to please her.

His current success is due to the script's popularity; if he wants to win another major award in the future, he'll need Chen Hong to mediate and facilitate things, so he can't afford to completely offend her. (End of Chapter)