She debuted after having a child with a celestial being.

For the next few days, the two of them waited for a notification from the "Dream Record" production team.

Xiao He didn't mention the audition, and Liu Yifei didn't ask either—she assumed he was auditioning for some minor role. Anyway, he'd been auditioning a lot lately, and she was too lazy to ask him about each one.

That afternoon, Xiao He returned from Hechao Music Studio and sensed something was off as soon as he opened the door.

Liu Yifei sat on the sofa, clutching a stack of newly printed scripts, which were all crumpled and deformed.

The orange cat lay beside her legs, and she unconsciously stroked its fur repeatedly. When she stroked it harder, the cat meowed in dissatisfaction and jumped off the sofa.

Xiao He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

Liu Yifei slammed the script onto the coffee table, and the papers scattered with a rustling sound.

"Look at this! The script has been changed! Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan are now in a relationship where the woman is older than the man! And they've added three kissing scenes! This is outrageous!"

Xiao He bent down and picked up the scattered pages.

Episode 19: Zhao Pan'er confesses her love in a carriage and takes the initiative to kiss Gu Qianfan.

Episode 26: Nighttime conversation by the bridge, Gu Qianfan pins her against the stone railing and kisses her deeply.

Episode 34: After the celebration banquet at Yong'an Tower, the two kissed in the moonlight courtyard. Each scene was marked with "Kissing Scene (New)" in red pen.

"When Director Yang talked to me, he didn't mention a single word about a relationship between an older woman and a younger man, let alone kissing scenes."

Liu Yifei stood up and paced back and forth in the living room, the hem of her knitted cardigan fluttering slightly with each step.

"I, Liu Yifei, don't do kissing scenes. Haven't I said that? I've acted for so many years, and I've avoided all the kissing scenes I could. That scene in 'So Young' was just a camera trick. And now, they're adding three more!"

She grabbed her phone, found Yang Yang's number, and dialed it.

"Director Yang, I've received the revised script."

Yang Yang's voice was steady on the other end of the phone: "Yifei, what is it?"

"Sister-brother relationships? When was this rule changed?"

"Yifei, the script adjustments were made by the writing team based on the characters' personalities. Teacher Zhang Wei felt that adding a sibling tension between Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan would be more refreshing than the traditional romantic storyline between peers. This direction of adaptation was collectively approved at the last creative meeting."

"What about the kissing scenes?" Liu Yifei's voice rose half an octave. "Those three kissing scenes, were they all approved by the group?"

"Kissing scenes are a necessary part of the plot. The confession in the carriage in episode 19 is the first climax of the entire series' emotional storyline, the nighttime conversation by the bridge in episode 26 is a key turning point in confirming their relationship, and the passionate kiss in the courtyard in episode 34 is..."

"Director Yang, I, Liu Yifei, do not accept kissing scenes. I have never broken this rule since my debut."

She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, her anger clearly evident.

"What are you trying to achieve by drastically altering the script like this?"

"Yifei, the script has been submitted for review."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Liu Yifei stood still, clutching her phone.

The script has been submitted for review—this means that all revisions have been filed, and any further changes will require going through the approval process again.

Yang Yang continued speaking, explaining the difficulty of making revisions after submission for review, his tone sincere but unyielding.

"Director Yang, then I'll quit the show."

Her voice suddenly calmed down, so calm that Xiao He's heart skipped a beat.

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yifei tossed her phone onto the sofa.

The calico cat peeked out from under the coffee table, and she bent down to pick it up, burying her face in its fur. She muttered, "Are they taking advantage of me because I can't get any big productions? I'm not doing this anymore."

Just as Xiao He was about to speak, his own phone rang.

The words "Director Yang Yang" appeared on the screen. He walked to the glass door in the backyard and answered the call, his voice very low.

"Xiao He, Yifei says she's going to quit the show." Yang Yang's tone carried a hint of helplessness. "The submitted script can't be changed too much, but the number of kissing scenes is negotiable—we can use camera tricks for some parts during filming. Didn't you say you could handle it?"

"Director Yang, everything is going according to plan. Don't worry."

He hung up the phone and went back to the living room. Liu Yifei was still holding the calico cat, looking up at him.

"Whose call was that?"

"Director Yang."

"What did she say?"

"She said she knew I didn't accept kissing scenes. But the script had already been submitted for review, and any changes could only be made by using camera tricks in certain scenes during filming. The framework for the older woman/younger man relationship was already set and couldn't be changed. Kissing scenes weren't entirely unnecessarily unnecessarily discussed; we could use camera tricks in certain scenes."

"Even a camera trick is a kissing scene. Those lines are printed on the script, and everyone knows what Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan did in those scenes. Besides, this is a very long kissing scene, not just a light peck, so there's no way to fake it. I can't accept that."

Liu Yifei put the cat down and looked up at him.

"Xiao He, can you really tolerate me filming kissing scenes with other people? Do you think it's no big deal, or do you think...?"

"Sister Sisi, you're a professional actress. Kissing scenes are an essential part of every actor's experience."

She fell silent. The calico cat in her arms jumped down and landed silently on the plush carpet. Her fingers hovered in mid-air, then slowly withdrew and rested on her knees, like a closed fan.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with no anger, no questioning, only a kind of disappointment that had been hidden all afternoon.

"I thought you were the one who understood me best. Now it seems I had too high expectations."

Liu Yifei stood up, picked up the cardigan from the sofa, and walked towards the door.

"where did you go?"

"Go outside for some fresh air, seeing you makes me even angrier."

Shu Chang's home is in a high-rise apartment building in Chaoyang District.

When Liu Yifei entered, Tang Yan and Zhang Liangying were already there.

Shu Chang, dressed in a light gray loungewear outfit, poured Liu Yifei a glass of red wine.

Tang Yan nestled in the corner of the sofa, swirling the wine glass in her hand, her face bearing an expression that said, "I knew you were coming."

Zhang Liangying leaned against the windowsill, wearing her ever-present navy blue tracksuit.

"What's wrong?"

Shu Chang pushed her wine glass towards her and sat down beside her. "You sounded really angry on the phone. Who upset you?"

"The script was changed. Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan's relationship became a romance between an older woman and a younger man, and three kissing scenes were added. I said I wouldn't do kissing scenes, but the director said the script had been submitted for review and couldn't be changed. I said I would quit the show, and the director immediately called Xiao He. Then he told me, 'You are a professional actor, kissing scenes are a necessary part of the process.'"

She picked up the wine glass, swirled it, and then put it back on the coffee table.

"I told him I don't do kissing scenes, and he didn't seem to care at all. I asked him, 'Can you tolerate me filming kissing scenes with other people?' What did he say? He said kissing scenes are a matter of professionalism. It's like I don't care who I kiss."

"He probably just felt that this script was very important to you and didn't want you to miss the opportunity, so he was trying to persuade you despite his reservations."

Shu Chang pushed the wine glass towards her.

"Think about it, he's been building your popularity and releasing singles ever since he founded Hechao Music, and he's been working tirelessly to help you get rid of Chen Jinfei's contract. How could he not care who you're close to or not?"

"Xiao He sometimes speaks without thinking, after all, he's too young, but don't you know how he acts?"

Zhang Liangying turned around from the windowsill.

"Last time in the recording studio, he was more nervous than you when you sang a wrong note. Which of your songs wasn't written for you during your most difficult time? With all the emotions in those songs, would he really let you film a kissing scene? No way."

She paused, then said, "I tried that demo the other day. He's not like that with everyone. Of course, he won't say everything he wants to say."

Tang Yan swirled her wine glass: "He probably knows what's going on. You have your principles, but there are some things he might think are better left for you to discover on your own. You should take your anger out on him; if you don't care, then there's something wrong with him."

"Sissi, this just proves that you two really are a couple."

Shu Chang leaned back on the sofa and continued with a smile.

"Why did one person get so angry that they wanted to quit the show? Why did another person endure kissing their loved one in a scene? Think about how much they did to help you get that role. Did you think it was easy for you to become popular now?"

"I know he really wants what's best for me, and wants me to win back everything I've lost in the acting field."

Liu Yifei picked up the red wine and took a sip.

Her sisters' words calmed her down a bit.

Yes, he fought for roles for her and stayed up countless nights with her to support her singing skills.

He wasn't indifferent to her; she knew it better than anyone.

She just can't accept filming kissing scenes with other people, and Xiao He should stand with her on this matter.

"Then I can't film kissing scenes with other people either." She put down her wine glass, her voice still muffled.

"Of course." Shu Chang smiled and gave her a push. "Why don't you go home and explain it to him? Who said a script submitted for review can't be modified? Are you kidding me? The production team just wants to take advantage of you."

That evening, when Liu Yifei returned to the Shunyi villa, Xiao He was leaning back on the sofa composing music.

She took off her shoes, walked over, and sat down next to him. They were silent for a moment.

"Xiao He".

"Um?"

"Can you really accept me filming kissing scenes with other people?"

"I think whether we're singers or actors, we're all professionals."

Of course, Xiao He couldn't say that the male lead was me, or that the kissing scene was filmed with me; if he did, the dramatic surprise would be gone.

"Fine, you still say that, right? Then I'll act it out, I'll act it out well."

After saying that, Liu Yifei stormed into her room.