Uneasy daily life

Feng Bin and Hua felt cheated. Although it smelled good at first and tasted great when chewed, their mouths were burning hot after swallowing, and they couldn't help but hiss and gasp for air.

"Heh." Bai Ying sneered and gestured, "Boss! Give her a bottle of Want Want milk!"

Soon, the boss brought over a few bottles of Want Want milk.

Bai Ying was stunned for a moment: "Holy crap, there really is one? Could this be the UN's special canteen, where you can get food and drinks from various countries at any time?"

“I was worried I wouldn’t be used to the food here, so I brought some food with me. After all, eating is a big deal. Don’t be shy or reserved. I’ve already booked this restaurant in advance for our movie celebration and dinner. The food at the big hotels just doesn’t suit my taste.”

Nian, fanning himself, looked at the white figure, who was covered in sweat and gasping for breath, and suggested, "Why don't you get a bowl of water and rinse yourself off?"

The top three most insulting lines: "Why don't you take a bowl of water and rinse yourself?"

How could I possibly be spoken to like that? It's outrageous!

"Indeed, the stick figure needs to be rinsed in a bowl of water."

The white figure turned back with a smile, her eyes carrying three parts contempt, four parts moderate disdain, and three parts strong disdain.

"?" Feng Bin and Hua were inexplicably furious. They wanted to raise their hands to show this guy what he looked like—a dish of oil from a murder scene—but they still nodded decisively and said, "Give me a bowl of water!"

"Huh! I remember now!" Nian exclaimed suddenly. "You're that actor too, right? The one who appeared in 'Night Food' and 'Them,' right? How about acting in a movie?"

"I think we should just forget about it." Mai Sakurajima rubbed her temples, closed the script, and said firmly, "Director Nian, don't you think there's something... strange about your own script?"

Nian asked in surprise, "What's strange about it?"

"Hmm..." Mai Sakurajima said demurely, "I can't find anything normal for a moment."

"Is it that strange?" Feng Bin and Hua put down their chopsticks for a moment, reached for the script and started flipping through it. Their eyes widened, and they couldn't help but complain one after another in their hearts.

"Why is it that Chinese monsters are specifically labeled with Godzilla's appearance?!"

"Because I specifically obtained the copyright, I made the most of it."

"Why are there those special markings with so many 'bang bang bang' and 'boom boom boom' sounds?!"

"Because we needed to film an explosion scene."

"But this scene with the 'boom boom boom' sound is about a toilet..."

"Sigh~ We're eating, let's not talk about things that make us nauseous."

"Huh? A romance plot? Disaster strikes? Family drama? What kind of movie is this?"

"This is my personal style, I call it the Chinese New Year style."

"Why is Ultraman here again?! Can't you leave Ultraman alone?!"

"Why? This is a localized design, making it easier for the audience to connect with the film! Besides, the copyright doesn't expire!"

Kazuka Toyohama couldn't help but close the script: "No way! I have no interest in acting in this movie. Director, please find someone else!"

"Don't rush, don't be so quick to say no." Nian closed her fan and nodded at Feng Bin and Hua. "First of all, has your company agreed? We're all ready to sign the contract—of course, as an excellent director, I will definitely consider the actors' feelings, which is why I specially prepared a meal today."

Kazuka Toyohama complained, "I can't just agree to act after having a meal, can I?"

"Oh dear, I told you not to rush," Nian said seriously. "You're a minor idol, right? Not very famous. Your most famous role isn't in an idol group, but in the movie 'Night Diner,' where you were known as the 'office worker's lover'..."

Feng Bin and Hana raised an eyebrow in displeasure: "So what?"

"So!" Nian opened his fan with a flick of his wrist. "Putting everything else aside, the movie we're going to make is going to generate a lot of buzz, which is an opportunity for you too!"

Toyohama Kazuka immediately said, "Thank you, but let's forget about it!"

Nian chuckled: "If I said I invited you and your entire team to act in a movie, with you as one of the leads and them playing supporting roles, and your group's name appeared in the film, it would be a good way to promote your group..."

Feng Bin and Hua wavered, vehemently wavered!

She couldn't help but look at Mai Sakurajima, seeking her opinion. Mai Sakurajima didn't know what to say for a moment. While pondering, she looked at the white figure who was eating and drinking with a ferocious expression, and kicked the other person under the table: "Black Fan, are you here to help or just to eat? Director Nian invited you to participate in the filming of the movie."

"Huh? Don't rush, I'll break through in the heat of battle right away, reclaim the Emperor's power, and drink this hot pot soup... Wait a minute, this is getting a bit out of character. Let me see those black stockings... oops! I mean the script!"

Bai Ying rubbed her slightly numb cheeks, reached out and took Feng Bin and Hua's script, quickly skimming through it. Before she had read much, she couldn't help but feel excited.

Universe, the name that humankind has given to the space we inhabit...

Bai Ying pondered for a moment, then asked, "How much did you pay the person who wrote this script?"

Nian waved his fan and said, "No salary."

"This is outrageous!" Bai Ying roared in fury. "He actually refused to pay you?!"

Kazuka Toyohama was shocked: "Who gets paid to work?!"

Bai Ying retorted, her hands holding the script trembling slightly: "Haven't you heard of self-publishing? Isn't that just getting paid to work?"

“We wrote the script.” Nian shrugged. “We always write and direct our own shows, so there’s no point in giving ourselves money.”

"Oh." Bai Ying nodded. "So you're the one who wrote this terrible movie script?"

"How can you call it a bad movie?" Nian suddenly shouted, his voice ringing out, "We all give ourselves a perfect score!"

"Your courage is admirable." Bai Ying closed the script, feeling her inner demons stirring, fearing she might go mad if she continued reading. "My suggestion is to increase the intensity, of course, the acting is out of the question—the only thing I can do is to promote the director vigorously, promote him with all my might!"

"Don't rush, don't rush!"

Nian raised his hand to pause, rested his fan on his chin, and laughed, "Young man and this Mai Sakurajima, won't you listen to our conditions?"

Mai Sakurajima's eyes twitched slightly: "Director Nian, this isn't about the salary or anything else, this script is just..."

“Our filming team has always been top-notch. Whether it’s the music, cinematography, special effects, or equipment, they’re all top-notch! Ms. Sakurajima seems to have high standards for her work. She probably wants to star in a phenomenal movie, right?” Nian said. “As long as Ms. Sakurajima is willing to participate, we’ll agree to film a movie for you in the future. We’ll bring the script, and we won’t ask about profits or losses. We’ll let you be the client!”

Mai Sakurajima: "Never mind..."

“Ms. Sakurajima might not have a good idea…” Nian scratched his head and named a few familiar movie titles. “You know these Sakurajima ladies, right? They’re all people from our team who participated in the production, although they all insisted on using pseudonyms when filming our movies.”

Mai Sakurajima was stunned. So all those award-winning actors and actresses acted in your bad movies because they acted in your bad movies?!

"The Brave Plus has actually wavered!" Bai Ying exclaimed in anguish. "Even though your acting skills aren't great, you can't just give up like this!"

"Ahem!" Mai Sakurajima coughed lightly. "What...what does Wakawa think?"

Kazuka Toyohama was also wavering. What should she do with her team's future? It was a question she had no plan for. Although the film was pretty bad, if everyone could participate, it would undoubtedly be a shot in the arm for the future of a small idol group: "I... I don't know either! What is that bastard thinking?!"

"Don't even think about it!"

Bai Ying slapped the script twice: "If we film something like this, the people in the theater troupe will laugh at us for the rest of our lives!"

"Don't say that, buddy."

Nian stretched out his hand and spread his five fingers: "I'll offer this amount!"

Bai Ying sneered, "Even if you include your toes, it won't make a difference—besides, aren't you afraid the client will tear you apart alive?"

“We’re our own client, and besides, our side business is metal smelting, so this amount isn’t much.” Nian’s casual tone revealed his arrogance. “Young man, you don’t seem like someone who cares too much about money. Let’s change it up—if you write a script you’re satisfied with, we’ll film it for you for free.”

Bai Ying scoffed, "The rich have their way of performing, and the poor have theirs. Only a poor student cares about the quality and quantity of stationery. Forget about it."

Sakurajima Mai stomped her foot nonchalantly—Who are you talking to! Stomp, stomp, stomp!

"Hmm? Looks like we've met our match!"

Nian tapped his palm with his folding fan, his expression turning serious: "I've heard a bit about what happened to you, young man. You're writing a light novel, right? How about we help you find a professional translator for global distribution and promotion?"

"So-so," Bai Ying complained. "Although it can garner a lot of attention and make you famous, isn't becoming famous after making this kind of movie just a way to expose your embarrassing past to everyone?"

"Huh? How can our movie be called a dark history?"

Nian poked around in his hair with his folding fan: "Hmm, if you don't really care about this, young man..."

Bai Ying subconsciously glanced at the other person's hand. The skin was like solidified cream, and the fingers were like bamboo joints, looking slender and strong... If Kira Yoshikage could still feel an impulse after being cut to this extent, then Kira Yoshikage must be shouting "Ten points" at the top of his lungs.

It can fight a hero, it's not bad.

"Ok?"

With a slight narrowing of his mysterious purple eyes, Nian said with a grin, "Young man, your eyesight isn't very good. What actor would try to seduce a director? That won't do."

"It's alright." Bai Ying crossed her arms and rested her chin on them, her voice trembling slightly. "I'll give you a condition you can't refuse."

"That's right! We'll give you a condition you can't refuse!"

Nian said meaningfully, "This young man seems quite special, and coincidentally, I'm quite special too..."

Bai Ying said meaningfully, "Really? I didn't see anything special about you."

"Hahaha, it would be strange if you could see that," Nian smiled. "These things are all about fate, and aren't we quite destined to meet? Why don't you come and play a role, young man?"

Bai Ying laughed heartily: "That's true, but I want to be a screenwriter!"

“No way!” Nian pointed with his fan and said, “Our script is unparalleled. At most, I’ll give you the right to make suggestions!”

"The right to make suggestions?" Bai Ying scoffed. "I make suggestions, and you reject them all. Is this the client's right to be happy?"

"Don't say that, buddy. We're quite magnanimous."

After thinking for a moment, Nian added, "How about I provide you with free meals as well? We were worried you wouldn't be used to foreign food, so we specially brought a whole plane full of food and seasonings, like authentic hot pot oil and ingredients rarely seen abroad—oh right! Boss, bring up the dishes!"

"Wait! Why did that bastard agree?" Feng Bin and Hua looked at Nian in surprise. "What were you saying that I couldn't understand?"

Nian blinked, shook his head, and said, "It can't be said, it can't be said."

Sakurajima Mai glanced at the white figure: "Hey, do you want to say something?"

"There's nothing to hide, it's just that the director of this bad movie is getting carried away with his riddle-solving," Bai Ying chuckled. "It's just about superpowered people, but he's making it sound like there's a dead fly in the pot."

"?" Nian quickly looked into the boiling hot pot broth. "A dead fly?!"

Bai Ying concluded, "See? Superpowered individuals aren't important, are they?"

Nian raised her head, glanced at the two who seemed unsurprised, shook her head and chuckled, then continued to scoop up food with her chopsticks.

Toyohama Kazuka asked in surprise, "She's one too?"

Mai Sakurajima nodded and said, "It seems so."

"As everyone knows, I have a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) and a superpowered person who feels that the devil is sealed within me, only lacking the devil," Bai Ying sighed. "Director Nian, is there any condition that I can't refuse?"

"Aren't you writing light novels? I've read some Japanese light novels too, and I've heard that illustrations have a big impact on the work."

After thinking for a moment, Nian tilted his head and suggested, "How about I find you a free illustrator? They're incredibly talented."

The white-clad figure asked in confusion, "How awesome?"

"Well..." Nian Yi flicked his fan and said confidently, "My sister!"

The white figure smiled and said, "Thank you, you're welcome. Please climb."

“Oh! My sister is a master of traditional Chinese painting!” Nian said quickly.

Bai Ying raised an eyebrow and said, "You're asking a ghost to draw illustrations for me?"

Nian smiled and said, "Don't worry, she's at the level of selling her paintings before she even dies."

“Director Nian,” Mai Sakurajima said, “The illustrations for light novels need a very anime-style art style, and the visuals need to be quite distinctive…”

"I know, I know, it's especially lewd, isn't it? Wouldn't that make it even more interesting?"

Nian chuckled and said, "Anyway, young man, I'll find you a master of traditional Chinese painting to draw illustrations. Isn't that a great offer?"

Bai Ying leaned back: "You must have a grudge against your sister for killing your sister, right? How could you not? You definitely will in the future!"

Yes.

Mai Sakurajima and Kazuka Toyohama both made sarcastic remarks.

"Anyway, it's settled then. The salary will be double the standard rate. Welcome to the 'Twelve Heroes' crew! Applause! Applause!" Nian tapped his folding fan against his palm and turned to Sakurajima Mai and Toyohama Kazuka. "What about you two? I see you have the makings of leading ladies. Are you interested in joining? The conditions remain the same!"

Kazuka Toyohama and Mai Sakurajima readily agreed.

After all, she gave too much.

Besides, since the hater (the jerk) readily agreed, the seemingly unusual conditions probably aren't a problem.

After all, it's quite normal for people with superpowers to be abnormal.

"Great! Oh, the food's here! Our crew has everything – food, drinks, mahjong, cards – and we can even try international cuisine. We can eat until we're stuffed!"

Nian watched happily as the boss, with a tense expression, brought over several dishes.

Mai Sakurajima and Kazuka Toyohama looked over with surprised expressions.

"what is this?"

Feng Bin and Hua pointed to a dish that seemed vaguely familiar, yet not quite. It looked like they'd seen it somewhere before, but it shouldn't be in their bowls…

The shop owner, whose business rights had been temporarily bought off by money, quickly stepped back a few paces after putting down the dishes, revealing a relieved smile.