A real killer playing a villain; the guy surnamed Zhen in Detective, run!

Su Qinghan opened the first attachment.

"Two top-tier FMCG brands are offering endorsements. One offers three million a year, and the other is willing to negotiate four and a half million, but requires cooperation with offline activities."

She opened the next email.

"Three invitations to become regular cast members on outdoor reality shows. The filming period ranges from two to four months, and the offer is between six and nine million."

Next, continue.

"An S-level historical drama, second male lead, the per-episode rate is 80,000. For 32 episodes, the pre-tax salary is 2.56 million. That's three times what you earned filming 'Black Gold'."

Once she gets into work mode, her pace quickens. "This is the window of opportunity for you to leap directly from a dark horse supporting role to a top-tier celebrity."

"Sign up projects with the highest monetization rates and the best reputation within a week, and your future will be much smoother."

The room was quiet for a little while.

Lu Yuan listened attentively.

Then he said, "Let's push it."

Su Qinghan stopped.

The sixth dog lay by her shoes, wagging its tail, completely unconcerned about its owner's well-being.

"What did you say?"

"It's cancelled." Lu Yuan's tone was steady. "Variety shows require flying all over the world, and historical dramas require non-stop work. Endorsements also require running around for events. It's too exhausting."

Su Qinghan stared at him.

Lu Yuan added, "My neighborhood is pretty good now. Eggs are 50% off at the morning market, and Mr. Liu at the butcher stall can even round down the price. Old Liu's automatic feeder doesn't support remote internet disconnection either."

"I want a more structured life. Eating takeout, feeding the cat, and occasionally taking on odd jobs. I don't want to exhaust myself like a spinning top."

Su Qinghan placed the tablet face down on her lap and didn't respond for a moment.

She has met too many celebrities.

Some people argue until 3 a.m. over a 30-second spot on the red carpet; others turn their management teams and brands into arbitration sessions over a business title.

Lu Yuan was different. With millions in front of him, his first thought was about cat feeders.

"Are you really planning to spend the rest of your life eating takeout, feeding cats, and stealing eggs?"

"Not bad either."

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, "Let's treat ourselves once in a while and buy some spare ribs."

Su Qinghan laughed in exasperation, "Your six-figure appearance fee has all become Lao Liu's!"

Lu Yuan looked down at the cat.

After rubbing his shoes, the sixth dog had already curled his tail around Su Qinghan's skirt.

"It's more precious than me."

"You do have a good sense of self-awareness."

Lu Yuan didn't respond to that.

His gaze lingered on Su Qinghan's face for half a second. "You didn't get a full four hours of sleep last night."

Su Qinghan paused, her fingers moving. "You figured it out again?"

"The concealer covered it up, but the muscles around your eyes look tired. Also, you changed your perfume today."

Su Qinghan looked up.

Lu Yuan said, "It's a woody tone, with cedarwood mixed with a touch of orange blossom. It suits you quite well, and it's less aggressive than the last one. It can relax your sympathetic nervous system a bit."

The room was quiet for a few seconds.

Su Qinghan picked up the cup and drank water, the rim of the cup obscuring the lower half of her face.

"You're so knowledgeable when it comes to perfume reviews?"

"Life Hacks"

"You have quite a wide range of lifestyles."

Outside, the whole internet is celebrating; inside, there's a cat, a glass of water, and an old coffee table.

She feels more comfortable sitting here than in that expensive ergonomic chair in the studio.

But she's not here to chat.

Su Qinghan swiped the tablet to the next page.

A document with a confidential watermark appears on the screen: the outline of the "Faceless" project.

"I know you don't like being consumed by data usage, so I declined all of those offers that I could."

Su Qinghan pushed the tablet in front of him, "But you have to take a look at this."

Lu Yuan's gaze fell on the screen.

A top-tier video platform-controlled investment, an S-level suspenseful blockbuster, featuring a villainous male lead.

Su Qinghan clicked on the character's biography.

"The villainous male protagonist appears to be a gentle and harmless criminal psychologist, but in reality, he is the mastermind behind a series of interconnected cases."

"The character has two sets of personalities, one for society and one for himself."

"The producers watched 'Black Gold' and last night's 'Escape Room,' and felt that your extreme calmness was a perfect fit."

Lu Yuan remained silent.

Su Qinghan continued, "In a few days, there will be a closed-door dinner for the project's main creators and investors. The platform's vice president, chief producer, director, and screenwriter will all be there."

Upon hearing the words "dinner party" and "investors," Lu Yuan felt an instinctive resistance in his back.

He had attended far too many such occasions in his previous life.

Jokes, wine glasses, coded messages, probing, and exchanges of favors. A single meal can reveal eight layers of hidden agendas.

He hated this kind of thing. "That night..."

"Stop making this up," Su Qinghan interrupted him.

She knew Lu Yuan too well.

When this person wants to escape, the reasons usually start with the cat, then move on to the morning market, the feeder, and the gas bill—a logically sound explanation.

Lu Yuan looked at her.

Su Qinghan folded the tablet down and changed to a more effective angle.

"First, the pay for this movie won't be low. Conservatively speaking, it's enough for you to buy Lao Liu an entire cat food processing line."

Lu Yuan remained silent.

Su Qinghan added insult to injury.

"Secondly, tonight's dinner is scheduled at a Michelin three-star private restaurant. The cost per person starts at 8,000. Top-grade Wagyu beef and bluefin tuna sashimi will be air-freighted."

Lu Yuan's prepared refusal got stuck in his throat.

The only sound in the room was the sound of Lao Liu munching on a catnip ball.

Three seconds later, Lu Yuan sat up straight.

"Director Su."

Su Qinghan looked at him.

Lu Yuan tightened the screws on the thermos and placed it on the table.

"I think that as an actor with aspirations, one cannot always confine oneself to one's comfort zone."

Su Qinghan lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Lu Yuan's expression was very serious.

"It is an actor's duty to meet with major production companies, discuss the depth of the character, and understand the core of the project."

Su Qinghan pushed the cup away.

If you get any closer, it will really spill onto the carpet.

"Do cats not need to be fed?"

"Old Six also hopes I will improve."

Sixth Brother: "Meow?"

Lu Yuan looked at it. "You wish."

The sixth dog lowered its head and continued licking its paws, refusing to participate in the hypocritical social interactions with humans.

Su Qinghan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.

She's usually incredibly cold on set; if her studio staff see her smile even once, they'll gossip about it for ages.

But in this rented room, she laughed without any burden.

Lu Yuan glanced at her. "What are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at your artistic pursuits."

"Um."

Lu Yuan nodded, "The main reason is that the character has depth."

"The depth at which bluefin tuna are caught?"

"It also has a marine theme."

Su Qinghan, holding onto the rim of the cup, finally couldn't hold back anymore.

She laughed softly, initially trying to suppress it, but then her shoulders twitched twice, and she sank into the sofa.

Lu Yuan sat on a small stool, muttering "an actor's duty," with a serious expression.

The sixth child lay on his lap, munching on catnip cookies with a satisfying crunch.

It looked up at the two people, then lowered its head and continued gnawing.

It doesn't participate in the evaluation of the respectable words that humans have made up for the sake of fish's survival.

After Su Qinghan finished laughing, the pent-up frustration in her chest from the project list, trending topics, and investors dissipated considerably.

Strangely enough, in the studio, a single sentence from her could make the entire conference room afraid to even turn the pages.

Once she arrived here, Lu Yuan's simple phrase "ocean theme" was enough to pull her back from being a female director to an ordinary person.