Bai Lu got scammed, but I became a superstar through e-commerce.

Winters in Hengdian aren't too cold, but the morning mist covers the glazed tiles of the Ming and Qing Palaces with a thin layer of frost.

On November 24th, Qingxiao personally chose this day.

The opening ceremony for "The Mystic Nine" was held at the Hengdian Ming and Qing Palace Scenic Area.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the entire crew arrived one after another, and the camera, covered with a red cloth, was set up in front of the offering table.

On the offering table are incense burners, fruits, and pastries, with a statue of Guan Yu placed in the center.

They offered incense and prayed to the gods, and finally lifted the red cloth to announce the start of filming.

It is said that this procedure originated from the fear of "scratching". In the early days of film, the film in the camera was accidentally scratched by the internal parts during shooting. If "scratching" occurred, the hard work of the entire crew would be wasted.

The ceremony begins.

Qingxiao pushed director Liang Shengquan to the altar first. Holding three incense sticks, he bowed three times to the statue of Guan Gong and put the incense sticks into the incense burner.

He Shuping and Huang Junwen stepped forward to offer incense in turn.

Then came the producer, Nanpai Sanshu. Today, he specially changed into a dark gray Chinese-style jacket with the cuffs rolled up neatly. He took the incense, bowed deeply to the statue of Guan Gong, inserted the incense into the incense burner, and then stepped aside.

After the celebration, the actors took turns offering incense.

Chen Weiting, dressed in a dark gray coat, stood tall and straight, and his movements while offering incense were clean and efficient.

Zhang Yixing followed closely behind, wearing a black down jacket. His fingers trembled slightly as he inserted the incense into the incense burner. He took a step back and bowed again to the statue of Guan Gong.

Bai Lu stood at the front of the female lead group.

She was wearing a long, off-white down jacket, her hair loose and naturally draped over her shoulders.

It was her turn.

She took the three incense sticks, walked to the offering table, and bowed three times respectfully to the statue of Guan Yu.

This is her first big-budget production with a budget of over 100 million, so it's impossible for her not to be excited.

Next, we will offer tea to Uncle Nanpai.

This was the most special part of the opening ceremony for "The Mystic Nine".

The original author personally oversaw the production, and the crew specially prepared a purple clay tea set. Several lead actors offered tea to the author, wishing him a successful start to filming and a smooth shooting process.

Chen Weiting was the first to serve tea, holding the purple clay cup with both hands and bowing slightly: "Third Uncle, thank you for your hard work."

Nanpai Sanshu took the tea, took a sip, and nodded.

Zhang Yixing spoke softly as he served tea, but he enunciated each word carefully: "Third Uncle, I will play Er Yuehong well."

Nanpai Sanshu took the tea and looked at him: "I've seen your audition footage, it was very good."

As Bai Lu walked up to Nanpai Sanshu with her purple clay cup, the morning mist dissipated, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the glazed tiles of the Ming and Qing Palace, landing on her shoulder.

She held the teacup in both hands, bowed slightly, and said in a soft but steady voice, "Third Uncle, I will not let the character of Yin Xinyue down."

Nanpai Sanshu took the tea, nodded, and took a sip.

"Go Bai Lu, you are Yin Xinyue!"

That evening, Bai Lu returned to her hotel room, removed her makeup, changed into a loose sweatshirt, and sat cross-legged on the bed flipping through a script.

There was a soft knock on the door. She looked up and said, "Come in." Qingxiao opened the door, carrying a bag of fruit, and placed it on her desk.

Are you nervous about your first scene tomorrow?

Bai Lu covered her face with the script, her muffled voice escaping from between the pages: "I'm not nervous. As a hardworking actress, I'm never nervous about any role."

Qingxiao removed the script from her face and looked at her: "You acted very well during the reading aloud. Tomorrow, when you're on set, don't overthink it, and don't be stage-frightened."

Bai Lu looked up at him.

She suddenly asked him what time his flight was tomorrow. Qingxiao replied, "First thing tomorrow morning."

Bai Lu closed the script and placed it on her lap, looking up at him: "Are you in such a rush? It's my first scene, aren't you even going to look at how to film it?"

"About ten web series projects are about to start production, and Yu Zheng and his team are driving me crazy. The scenes for 'Human Fireworks' haven't been finalized yet, and Yu Zheng's scriptwriting team just completed one revision of the script for 'Story of Yanxi Palace.' Several production managers from other dramas called me a couple of days ago to urge me to review the budget proposals. Each one involves real money, and they're all waiting for my signature. There are also a few projects waiting for financing, and I need to personally negotiate with President Zhou and Director Sun."

He sat down in the chair beside her bed and looked at her.

"Bai Mengyan, have you become dependent on me?"

Bai Lu's eyes reddened slightly, but she quickly composed herself: "How could that be? I'm Bai Lu, the leading lady who's going to be a big star. How could I possibly rely on a producer who's always marking red lines on project proposals? If it weren't for the fact that you let me play Yin Xinyue, I wouldn't have let you in tonight."

Qingxiao did not expose her.

He has known her for two lifetimes. Whenever she tries to be stubborn, she bites her lower lip with her canine teeth, just like now.

Bai Mengyan.

"Um?"

Qingxiao suddenly reached out and pressed her onto his shoulder, then took the script from her hand and threw it a little further away.

Bai Lu lifted her head from his shoulder, her nose just centimeters away from his.

Their breaths mingled, and they remained silent for several seconds.

Bai Lu smelled the pleasant soap scent on him.

Even now, as President Qing, he is exactly the same as he was years ago when he stayed up all night packing packages in his rented apartment and washed his T-shirts and hung them out to dry on the balcony after dawn.

He's already rich, but he still uses the same soap.

Bai Lu closed his eyes and kissed her.

Qingxiao's fingers ran through her hair, supported the back of her neck, and gently pressed her towards him.

The kiss was light and slow, as if confirming an answer that had been waiting for a very long time.

From the night he squatted on the floor packing packages in his rented room in Jiubao, he knew the answer would come sooner or later.

But starting from the 50,000 yuan that was swindled away by that fraudulent company, starting from the fragrant beggar's chicken roasted with fruitwood mud that Bai Luxiang was enjoying, starting from every night they spent together, the answer is too heavy, so heavy that neither of them is willing to reveal it all at once.

Bai Lu's hand slid from Qing Xiao's neck to his chest, where it clenched slightly.

She enjoyed the moment, but was also nervous.

The two responded to each other, deeply in love.

After a long while, Qingxiao's hand slid down her hair, moving inch by inch down her back. He could feel the warmth and softness of her skin even through the thin fabric of her sweatshirt.

The moment his fingertips touched the skin of her lower back, Bai Lu suddenly pressed his hand gently.

"Qingxiao, I'm definitely yours for life."

She gently held his hand in her palm, her voice soft but steady, as if she had been preparing for a long time.

"Let's just take things slowly, okay? I want to enjoy this journey of love. I don't want to get married and have children so soon. I really, really love acting, and I want to be the hottest female star."

"Wait for me, okay?"

Qingxiao withdrew his hand from her lower back, his fingers resting on her cheek, gently wiping away a tear that hadn't yet slid down her cheek.

He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

"sure."

Bai Lu looked up at him, her eyes still glistening with tears: "Will you... blame me? I've heard that many girls get angry and break up with their boyfriends when they disagree with these things."

"Silly girl, do you have some misconceptions about sleeping? Sleeping doesn't guarantee you'll have a baby."

"Well... I'm scared too. Slow down, look, I've let you kiss me all you want today, haven't I improved a lot?"

Qingxiao leaned back in his chair, looking at her with a slight smile: "Going slowly is fine, but don't just make empty promises. So when can I touch you freely?"

"You're so mean, how can you talk like that..."

"What is this?"

Bai Lu remained silent, looking shy.

Qingxiao laughed and said, "So you're that lecherous? If a man isn't lecherous towards you, it means he doesn't love you. This 'The Mystic Nine' has drained my savings. I've given so much, I might go bankrupt and be back to square one. I don't care. If you become a star, I'll repay you handsomely. I'll at least upgrade my access to 'touch me freely'."

"If you flirt with me again... I'll bite you to death."

As Bai Lu spoke, he revealed his two signature tiger teeth and made a fierce expression, but the corners of his eyes still held the tears that hadn't dried yet, making him look more like a cat with its fur standing on end.

It doesn't look fierce at all; in fact, it's quite cute.

The two looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

That night, she didn't know when she fell asleep.

She only remembers that when she was in a daze, someone gently took the script from her arms and tucked her in.

Then she heard the door close softly, and the footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away.

The next morning, Qingxiao boarded a flight back to Beijing at Dongyang Airport.

Bai Lu's phone lit up with a message from Qing Xiao: "Focus on filming, I'll take care of everything."

She looked at the message, smiled sweetly, and replied, "Understood, Boss Qingxiao."

On the fourth day after returning to Beijing, Qingxiao sat in the conference room of Huanyu Film and Television, with Yu Zheng sitting opposite him.

Director Hui Kaidong was flipping through the script, while Director Wen Deguang leaned against the window, holding a storyboard.

"Story of Yanxi Palace: The Great Female Lead in the Qing Dynasty Palace"

Qingxiao opened the document in front of him without exchanging pleasantries.

"Teacher Yu, you'll lead the investment in this project. Tianmen Film & Television will contribute the script and production resources at a discounted price to help you set up the project. In the 21-web series grand plan, I'm the lead investor for 'The Mystic Nine' with real money. For the other eleven web series, Tianmen Film & Television will contribute the script and production resources at a discounted price, not taking up the majority of the cash investment. The investment and financing will be handled by each co-producer themselves, while I'll be responsible for attracting projects, allocating resources, and assembling the team."

"Story of Yanxi Palace is a Qing Dynasty female-centric drama. You have your own cast and production team in this genre, so it's more suitable for you to lead the investment."

Yu Zheng leaned back in his chair, holding a purple clay teacup and looking at him with a slight smile of appreciation: "President Qing, I've known you for several years. You have a habit when negotiating: you state the most difficult conditions yourself first, not giving others a chance to bargain. You just said that Tianmen Film and Television will not lead the investment in 'Story of Yanxi Palace,' but will only contribute the script and production resources at a discounted price. That means that Huanyu Entertainment will be responsible for the bulk of the funding for this drama."

"iQiyi, as the broadcasting platform, will also produce a portion, following the platform-customized drama model. The production company submits a complete script and production plan, and the platform evaluates it, provides production funding, and acquires the program. This puts much less financial pressure on the production company than pure self-production. Huanyu leads the investment, iQiyi co-produces, and Tianmen Film & Television contributes its script and production resources at a discounted price. The three parties share the profits and risks."

Hui Kaidong flipped through the script and asked, "President Qing, do you have any thoughts on the script for 'Story of Yanxi Palace'?"

"The script was written over the weekend. The core of the story is the female lead, Yingluo. She relies on her brains, not tears, and on her methods, not men. It avoids the typical palace drama tropes of forbearance, submissiveness, and the sudden appearance of a new male lead. This series can be told using the framework of a modern workplace drama; in a sense, it's about a career woman overcoming numerous obstacles. This is completely different from traditional Qing Dynasty dramas. Audiences are tired of the 'white lotus' type and need a Wei Yingluo who doesn't play by the rules."

Yu Zheng nodded in agreement, and then expressed his own opinion.

"Regarding the casting, I only recommend one. I recommend Wu Jinyan for the role of Wei Yingluo. She is a good fit, has a certain acting foundation, a good reputation and image, and has a history of cooperation with Huanyu Entertainment."

Qingxiao flipped to the latter part of the script, but only listened without saying a word.

Yu Zheng continued: "As for Empress Fucha, Emperor Qianlong, Consort Gao, and Fu Heng, Huanyu Entertainment has its own cast of actors in the Qing Dynasty drama genre, so producing these is very easy."

Director Wen Deguang turned around from the window, took the storyboard, and walked to the table: "President Qing, your positioning of 'Story of Yanxi Palace'—a female protagonist's career comeback in the Qing Dynasty—is the right approach."

"We opted for a cool color palette in the visuals, avoiding the bright red and gold filters typical of traditional Qing Dynasty dramas. We used gray tones, navy blue, and dark green to suppress the oppressive atmosphere of the palace, allowing the female lead to gradually find her place within this cool aesthetic."

Yu Zheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze lingering on Qing Xiao for a moment: "President Qing, I've known you for so long, and you've never misjudged me."

"Choosing Bai Lu to play Lin Xiao was a good decision, and casting Xu Kai to try out web dramas was also a good one. And this time, you voluntarily gave me the lead investor position, which shows you recognize that the Qing Dynasty palace drama genre is Yu Zheng's forte. Huanyu Entertainment is the lead investor for this project, but... is Bai Lu coming?"

"Bai Lu's schedule is set for 'The Mystic Nine' and 'Human Fireworks.' Moreover, she's in the Qing Dynasty female lead genre, and I want her to see how Wu Jinyan does it first. She might not be suited for this genre, and she doesn't really like Qing Dynasty dramas."

Yu Zheng nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

That means it's confirmed that Qingxiao won't bring his girlfriend into the cast, so he can arrange all the roles himself.