Volume One, Chapter 67: Subtle Affection

“It’s okay~”
Awakened by Jiang Yu’s persistent questioning, Su Muyu gave a haughty reply.
“Just okay?” Jiang Yu looked aggrieved, but quickly recovered. “Boss, do you have a camera? Can you take a few pictures for me as a keepsake?”
“Of course, of course!”
The owner of the clothing store immediately nodded and picked up a camera to start taking photos.
When the pictures were developed, Jiang Yu looked at the handsome figure in the photos. “How is this just okay? This is clearly impressive!”
Listening to Jiang Yu’s complaints, Su Muyu couldn’t help but laugh and turned to the owner. “How much for this set of photos?”
Unexpectedly, the owner shook his head. “No need to pay.”
“Really?” Jiang Yu’s face lit up with surprise.
The owner looked at him a little sheepishly. “Would you mind if I used one of your photos to display in our store?”
“No way!”
Before Jiang Yu could answer, a voice interrupted them from the side.
Turning around, they saw that it was Chen Guosheng speaking. “My friend, these might be our costume test shots, so we can’t let you display them in your store. Sorry.”
Jiang Yu and Su Muyu were dumbfounded by Chen Guosheng’s words. Costume test shots? What costume test shots?
Before the two could react, Chen Guosheng had already pulled out his phone and scanned the code to pay.
“Oh, so you’re Director Chen! Understood, understood!” The clothing store owner immediately grasped the situation and said nothing more.
Not only was Jiang Yu stunned, but Su Muyu looked curiously at Su Ling, hoping to get an explanation.
But Su Ling was equally confused.
Chen Guosheng then turned around, smiling at Jiang Yu. “Jiang, let’s have a meal first. We’ll talk over lunch.”
Jiang Yu took off the imperial robe, still puzzled, but nodded and followed along.
What no one noticed was that, in a corner, a figure was holding a camera, secretly taking numerous photos.
“Who would have thought the contestant who withdrew, Jiang Yu, would come to Hengdian? Is he planning to act in a film? I’m going to be rich!”
…
The group arrived at a small restaurant.
The environment was quite nice—not luxurious, but peaceful and undisturbed.
At the table,
Chen Guosheng finally revealed his purpose. “Jiang, I wonder if you’d be interested in acting?”
“Your aura perfectly matches the character we’re filming. I’d like to invite you to join our crew and play the Han Emperor. If you agree, we can start right away!”

Now everyone understood Chen Guosheng’s intentions.
Hearing his words, Jiang Yu was even more perplexed.
Su Muyu, sitting next to him, tugged gently at his pant leg, bringing him back to himself.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Yu looked apologetically at Chen Guosheng.
“I’m sorry, Director Chen, but I don’t think I can accept your offer.”
This left the assistant and staff by Chen Guosheng’s side at a loss.
How could anyone refuse Director Chen’s invitation to act?
“Mr. Jiang Yu, why don’t you take a look at the script first, and then we can discuss it?”
Chen Guosheng’s brow furrowed. As the most renowned director in Huaxia, he had never encountered a refusal before. His tone shifted from the familiar “Jiang” to the more formal “Mr. Jiang Yu.”
Sensing Chen Guosheng’s displeasure,
Jiang Yu quickly explained, “Director Chen, it’s not that I don’t want to accept, but I have another commitment at the moment. I’ve already agreed to perform at the National Day Gala.”
So that was it. Chen Guosheng’s irritation dissipated and was replaced with admiration. He hadn’t expected someone so young to be invited to the National Day Gala.
“Impressive. To stand on that stage in such a short time… I won’t press you further. I can wait until after National Day!”
“I’m afraid that would delay your schedule!” Jiang Yu said hurriedly.
Chen Guosheng smiled. “It won’t. We’ll prepare other things first. President Su, please reserve Jiang’s schedule for us after National Day!”
Su Ling raised her glass. “Don’t worry, Director Chen. I’ll keep his schedule open for you.”
Jiang Yu also smiled. “Thank you, Director Chen.”
Suddenly, the phone rang—it was a staff member, calling to take him to the hotel that had been booked in advance.
Hanging up, Jiang Yu looked apologetically at everyone.
“Sorry, I have to leave first. Director Chen, Muyu, Auntie, please continue your conversation.”
“Go ahead,” they replied.
Led by the staff,
Jiang Yu arrived at the project team’s location.
Several teachers were already waiting.
“Sorry for being late!”
The teachers looked at him kindly. “No rush, we just wanted to have a small meeting and brainstorm ideas.”
“Let’s begin, then.”
…
After a fruitful discussion with the teachers, Jiang Yu returned to his room.

He picked up his phone and saw several unread messages.
Su Muyu: I’ve returned to Jiangxia. How was your conversation with the teachers today?
Seeing her message, Jiang Yu smiled.
That afternoon, while the teachers had been engaged in an enthusiastic discussion, Jiang Yu had been frantically searching his backpack, finally finding a suitable piece of music.
But now he was pondering the best time to present it.
Jiang Yu: Not bad. The teachers were all very kind to me. How about you? Have you signed the contract?
Su Muyu: It’s done. Auntie brought your contract back as well. Director Chen seems to really like you. I didn’t expect my next project would have you as my co-star.
Jiang Yu: Haha, I’ve always wanted to play a couple with you!
Su Muyu: You sound very happy, don’t you?
Jiang Yu: Of course, I’m telling the absolute truth!
He waited two minutes, but Su Muyu didn’t reply.
Is she upset?
Jiang Yu wondered. Just then, a notification sounded.
“I’m going to rest now. I have a night shoot later.”
Su Muyu had changed the subject herself.
“Oh, alright.”
Their conversation ended there.
In her hotel room, Su Muyu lay under her blanket, staring blankly at Jiang Yu’s message, her breaths coming in quick, uneven bursts.
Feeling the air under the covers was stifling, she sat up, slipped into her silk pajamas, and walked to the window, breathing in the fresh air until the excitement in her heart finally subsided a little.
Recently, their exchanges had grown a bit out of control, a bit intense.
Both of them could sense it, but with tacit understanding, neither spoke of it. The innate shyness of a girl made it difficult for her to be the one to break the ice.
Cursing him for being so dense, she lay back down, picked up her phone, and tried to calm herself.
Opening CatCat Reader, she tapped on the “Zhu Xian” page, when suddenly a pop-up appeared.
The image showed a man and a woman. The woman’s face was visible, but the man’s was covered by a cartoon avatar.
“Exclusive interview with the author of ‘Zhu Xian.’ CatCat Web explores how Turkey-Flavored Rice Crackers became the founding father of the xianxia genre.”