Huayu: Tianxian Qianmeng

The black Cadillac drove away, and Liu Xiaoli, still in the car, felt her chest heaving.

When she reached the next traffic light, she took a deep breath and pressed the adjustment button for the rearview mirror with a "click".

The mirror angle changed, accurately reflecting her well-maintained face.

"Xixi," Liu Xiaoli's voice trembled with lingering shock and deep displeasure as she said, "Does your mother... look that old?!"

She looked at herself in the mirror from left to right, her brows furrowed tightly, and she couldn't help but press her fingers against the corner of her eye: "That young man! He actually called me 'Auntie'?! That's too much!"

Liu Yifei huddled in the passenger seat, her little hands unconsciously clutching the seatbelt.

The close call and her mother's sudden outburst had her heart pounding. Hearing her mother's words, she subconsciously glanced at her mother's angry face in the rearview mirror.

"Mom..." she whispered, her voice soft and soothing.

"And there's more!" Liu Xiaoli showed no sign of stopping, growing angrier with each passing thought. She abruptly turned to look at her daughter, her eyes filled with lingering fear and wariness. "Look at his eyes! Staring straight at you! Lustful! He's obviously no good! Holding a child and still being so indecent!"

The more she talked, the more dangerous it seemed. She reached out to touch her daughter's face, as if to make sure she hadn't been "tainted" by that gaze.

"Sisi, remember this! In the future, if you encounter a man staring at you for no reason, especially with that kind of... weird look, stay away! Go around him! Okay? You're still young, still a minor! Mom has to protect you!"

Liu Yifei was also a little scared by her mother's nervous appearance, and the image of the person outside the car immediately flashed into her mind:

The costume was filthy, the hair was messy, there seemed to be an injury on his arm, and he was holding a little girl with a tear-streaked face in his arms...

What made her most uncomfortable was those eyes!

It was like it was glued to her face! Staring straight at her! It gave her the creeps!

"Mom, I know..." Liu Yifei nodded obediently, her voice even lower, her little head drooping slightly. In her heart, she silently labeled that "weirdo" again: dangerous element + rude perverted weird uncle.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, her mother drove fast and got away from that place.

Liu Xiaoli calmed down a little, let out a heavy snort, and soon the green light came on, and the car continued to drive.

Meanwhile, Ling Yuan held the sobbing little girl and asked her for a long time, but the little one could only cry and couldn't say where she lived or what her parents' names were.

No problem, he took this "hot potato" to the nearest police station.

When the police officer on duty saw the group—a young man dressed in a dusty, period costume with bruises on his arm, holding a little girl who was crying her eyes out—his eyes immediately became wary.

Ling Yuan quickly explained the situation in detail, how dangerous the tricycle was, and how he "heroically" slid in to save the person.

After listening to the story, the police officer's attitude softened considerably. He comforted the little girl, confirmed that she was unharmed, and then inquired about Ling Yuan's identity.

Ling Yuan said he was filming at a film and television base, and didn't elaborate further, only offering a few humble words before quickly leaving.

Returning to the film set looking disheveled, Chen Kun was leaning against a chair in the rest area, listlessly playing with a lighter.

"Hey, junior brother!" Chen Kun looked up and almost threw his lighter. "Where...did you go? Or were you in a fight?"

"I was held up by something small." Ling Yuan quickly handed over the cigarette. Shu Chang, who played the eighth young lady of the Jin family, happened to be nearby and came over when she saw this.

Ling Yuan then quietly and briefly recounted how he rescued the child and took him to the police station.

"Wow! A hero saving a damsel in distress... oh no, I mean saving a kid!" Chen Kun chuckled upon hearing this, patting Ling Yuan's uninjured shoulder. "Not bad, kid! Didn't realize you were so agile! Got a bruise? Come on, let's go back and have the stage manager check it out, lest it get infected."

"Brother Ling Yuan, you're just like Hao Ran's character, truly infuriating!" Shu Chang was only fourteen or fifteen years old at this time, the same age as Liu Yifei, but Shu Chang debuted as a child star and already had quite a bit of fame, at least much more than Ling Yuan, a complete novice. She was also going to win a "big prize" at the end of this year.

That night, filming continued until after 10 p.m. before everyone returned to the hotel where the crew was staying.

Ling Yuan had just finished showering and was grimacing in front of the mirror while tending to the scrapes on his elbow when there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Brother Lingyuan? It's me, Shuchang." A clear female voice came from outside the door.

Ling Yuan quickly put on a T-shirt and went to open the door.

Outside the door, Shu Chang held a small first-aid kit in her hand, her eyes sparkling: "I prepared a personal first-aid kit beforehand, with iodine and gauze, so I brought it over for you."

"Thank you, thank you. You're so young, yet you take such good care of yourself." Ling Yuan reached out to take it, but Shu Chang's eyes reddened.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought this up." Ling Yuan knew that his words had touched a soft spot in Shu Chang's heart.

He had heard of Shu Chang in his previous life, but it was only after meeting her in this life that he realized how... pitiful this little girl's background was.

When she was 5 months old, her parents divorced, and she returned to Beijing with her mother. When she was 10 years old, her mother passed away, and her biological father refused to support her. She could only live with her aunt and be cared for by her aunt and cousin.

So even though Xiao Changchang is young, she is already sensible and capable of taking charge of things.

"It's okay." Shu Chang had recovered and giggled as she darted into the room. "Let me help you; you can't reach it."

"This isn't a good idea. It's getting a bit late." Ling Yuan said, a little embarrassed.

"Oh, what's wrong with that? It'll be over soon." Shu Chang, acting like a little adult, pulled Ling Yuan towards the bed. "Don't be so polite! Sit up, sit up! It's so awkward for you to apply the medicine yourself in this position."

Ling Yuan had no choice but to comply.

The little girl moved quickly, dipping a cotton swab in iodine and carefully applying it to the wound, hissing as she did so as if she were the one in pain.

"I wonder if the little girl has gotten home yet?" Shu Chang asked.

"We should be here by now. The police station has the capability to handle this," Ling Yuan said.

"That's good! Brother Lingyuan, you must have looked really cool back then, dashing out like that!" Shu Chang's eyes curved into crescents, and she moved her hands even more gently. "But you have to be more careful next time, look at this injury."

The cool medicine seeped into the wound, causing a slight stinging sensation, but Ling Yuan felt a warmth in his heart.

It was getting late, so Shu Chang quickly finished and left after Ling Yuan thanked her.

Filming continued the next morning. At noon, the crew had lunch. Everyone had just started to eat their boxed lunches when producer You Jianming, carrying a megaphone, walked to the center of the rest area with director Li Dawei.

"Everyone, listen up! Quiet! I have two announcements to make!" You Jianming's loud voice instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"Good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?"

"Of course it's good news!" someone below sang.

Some people say, "Let's talk about the bad things first; bitter before sweet!"

You Jianming nodded: "Then let's start with the bad news."

"It's with great regret that Ms. Kim Tae-hee, the Korean actress originally cast as 'Baek Soo-joo,' was unable to join the production due to... well, there were some complicated issues with her approval process for working in China. Her agency has just officially informed us that she will not be able to join the production."

"ah?!"

"What?!"

"What about Bai Xiuzhu?"

"Wow...we've filmed quite a few already!"

The scene instantly erupted in chaos, with discussions rising everywhere. The previously relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense.

You Jianming and Li Dawei exchanged a glance, both seeing the anxiety in each other's eyes.

You Jianming cleared his throat and called out, "Everyone, quiet down! This is the situation! Time is extremely tight! Although Bai Xiuzhu's scenes haven't started filming yet, the character and the scenes are closely related, so we can't delay! We and the director have searched through our database, but we really can't find a suitable candidate in terms of temperament, age, and availability! There's no time to do auditions either!"

Li Dawei picked up the conversation, saying, "So, the reason we've gathered everyone here today is to pool our wisdom and resources! Everyone here is in the industry, or has their own connections, so see if you have any suitable candidates to recommend? If your recommendation is ultimately accepted, the production team will reward the recommender with... two thousand yuan!"

The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a louder buzz of discussion. Everyone looked at each other, racking their brains to think of suitable girls they knew or had met.

Chen Kun shouted, "And what's the good news?"

You Jianming smiled slightly and said loudly, "The good news is that our crew's handsome young man, Ling Yuan, did a good deed, and we hereby commend him!"

Shu Chang: "Wow~"

Chen Kun smiled slightly and glanced at Ling Yuan.

The two of them knew exactly what good thing Ling Yuan had done. They had guessed it when the producer mentioned having some good news.

You Jianming waved an envelope in his hand: "This morning, officers from the Huairou Police Station, accompanied by a middle-aged couple, specially delivered this letter of thanks! They thanked Ling Yuan for his courageous act yesterday evening, risking his life to save their lost little girl from a speeding tricycle! He prevented a tragedy!"

"Wow—" A round of applause and cheers immediately erupted from the audience. Countless eyes "whooshed" onto Ling Yuan, who was engrossed in eating and trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible.

Ling Yuan quickly put down his lunchbox and stood up, waving his hands awkwardly, "President You, this...this is only right, anyone would have helped if they saw it..."

Actually, when the police and the child's parents arrived that morning, Ling Yuan had already been called to the production office to receive their thanks in person. They even gave him a small gift, but Ling Yuan declined it. You Jianming, however, accepted the thank-you letter on his behalf.

Well, this is also an honor for the production team. They might be able to use it for promotions later.

You Jianming interrupted him with a smile, handing the letter to the script supervisor next to him: "Comrade Ling Yuan is modest, and his spirit is commendable! The production team has decided to issue a commendation and... um, a bonus of five hundred yuan! To encourage everyone to learn from this spirit of courage and righteousness!"

The applause grew even louder.

Chen Kun patted him on the shoulder vigorously, and Shu Chang smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Dong Jie also cast a gentle, approving glance at him.

Ling Yuan scratched his head and could only smile sheepishly.

Director Li Dawei beckoned to Ling Yuan: "Ling Yuan, why don't you tell everyone what happened and what your thought process was like back then?"

Normally, Ling Yuan would have politely declined, but this time, a thought struck him, and he decided to explain it properly.

So, Ling Yuan spoke up.

"Here's what happened: last night, Brother Kun asked me to buy him some cigarettes..."

Then he talked about how he was stunned at the time and might have been mistaken for a lecher.

Chen Kun joked, "Goodness, there's this part too? You didn't tell us yesterday. Confess, were you just mesmerized by how pretty the girl was?"

Shu Chang covered her mouth and laughed: "Brother Ling Yuan, so you were staring in a daze not because you were still shaken from saving someone, but because you were looking at a beautiful woman?"

A burst of good-natured laughter rang out around them. Dong Jie couldn't help but smile too.

Everyone thought Ling Yuan would be shy after being teased, but to everyone's surprise, Ling Yuan readily admitted, "I was indeed stunned at the time. That girl was exceptionally beautiful and had a great presence. However, the reason I was stunned was because I had met her before."

"Huh? You've seen him before?" Everyone couldn't help but speculate.

Ling Yuan: "Yes, I saw a real estate advertisement on the street before, and the model on it was that girl. She left a very deep impression on me. I thought to myself, isn't this the perfect candidate for Bai Xiuzhu?"

"Well, the reason I brought this up is to recommend that girl."

"Her aloofness and detachment are incredibly captivating. I saw her again in the car yesterday, just for a fleeting glance, but that feeling was even stronger. A thought flashed through my mind: Isn't she the spitting image of a young lady straight out of the Republic of China era? That's exactly how Bai Xiuzhu should be!"

This immediately piqued everyone's interest.

Shu sang: "I think I saw that guy before, the girl was really pretty."

Chen Kun slapped his thigh and joked, "Goodness, you're something else! You've only filmed a few scenes, and you're already thinking about the work of a producer and director."

Dong Jie smiled, but a worry rose in her heart: what if they cast someone too beautiful as the female lead and she was overshadowed?

You Jianming and Li Dawei exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise and eagerness in each other's eyes. Ling Yuan's perspective and standards for casting might differ from those of the director, but since Ling Yuan was so enthusiastic, it was definitely worth watching.

So, You Jianming made the decision immediately: "Where's the GG sign? Ling Yuan, you lead the way! Old Li, let's go! Let's go take a look now!"

Chen Kun and Shu Chang were curious, and since they were close to Ling Yuan, they also insisted on going along to offer their opinions.

After quickly finishing their meal, everyone set off during their lunch break in a seven-seater minivan belonging to the film crew.

"Turn left! Yes, this is the street. I remember there's a big GG sign at the intersection ahead..." Ling Yuan said, sitting in the passenger seat and giving directions.

Chen Kun hummed a tune in the back seat, while Shu Chang peered out the car window.

"Hey! Wait! Is that it?!" Shu Chang suddenly pointed to a huge GG sign in front of her right and screamed.

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed.

On the giant GG sign, a girl in a white dress turned slightly to the side, her long hair flowing over her shoulders and her skin as white as snow.

Her eyes were clear, yet carried a subtle hint of aloofness. Her chin was slightly raised, and against the backdrop of modern high-rises, her demeanor strangely blended with a classical tranquility. In the lower right corner, artistic lettering read: "Jinfei Apartments, Encounter an Extraordinary Life."

"Wow!" everyone exclaimed in surprise.

Absolutely beautiful! Her elegance is otherworldly!