Chapter 63
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 63: Title
Song Yutian furrowed her brows.
It was nearly 11 PM—what could Lu Qiao possibly want?
She initially wanted to decline, but considering Lu Qiao’s potential assistance with her audition and her aversion to owing favors, Song Yutian replied: [What is it?]
Within seconds, Lu Qiao called.
Apparently, he’d interpreted "What is it" as consent to talk.
After a brief hesitation, Song Yutian answered.
A deep male voice resonated: "Miss Song."
She inquired, "Mr. Lu, what’s this about?"
Lu Qiao said, "Miss Song, I’ve heard you were pursuing Gu Feng previously?"
Song Yutian’s finger hovered over the disconnect button.
The voice continued, "Don’t be upset—I’m merely asking."
"I’m busy. If there’s nothing important, I’ll hang up," she said.
While the previous "Song Yutian"’s pursuit of Gu Feng hadn’t been dramatic, it wasn’t exactly a secret either.
Seeing no reason to deny this non-shameful fact, she didn’t refute it.
A low chuckle came through. "Seems true. Miss Song, how would you compare me to Mr. Gu?"
"What are you implying?" she demanded.
"What do you think I’m implying?" he countered.
Tired of word games, she asked bluntly, "You want us to be together?"
Silence followed—clearly unexpected directness.
After a pause, Lu Qiao said, "I admire your personality. Accompany me when needed, and I’ll provide what you want."
"What I want?" Her voice chilled. "You mean becoming your kept woman? Treating you as a patron?"
His amused laughter crackled. "That’s one interpretation."
"Lu Qiao, you’re inferior to even Gu Feng." At least he’d proposed being a "boyfriend," not this transactional arrangement.
Before he could respond, she added, "I appreciate your past help, but don’t mistake that for leverage."
After heavy silence: "You misunderstand, Miss Song."
"Oh?" she challenged.
"I never threaten. Gifts given stay given. But know this—choosing me over Gu Feng brings greater rewards."
"Anything else?" she snapped.
He sighed, shifting topics. "I hear you need a male companion soon."
"Your point?"
"I’ll accompany you as goodwill. My presence ensures investors and audiences notice you."
His arrogance held merit. Appearing with Lu Qiao would spark envy and investor interest—a tempting offer.
Yet—
"No thanks. I don’t need it," she refused. She had no intention of gaining attention through male association rather than merit.
After a beat: "Contact me here if you reconsider."
"Goodbye," she said curtly.
"Goodbye, Miss Song," his deep voice rumbled.
Ending the call, Song Yutian closed her eyes.
Despite her firm refusal, she acknowledged the difficulty of finding a better show partner than Lu Qiao.
She had only just entered this world and started filming a variety show, so she hadn’t had a chance to meet men outside the program.
If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll ask Sister Chen to arrange someone, Song Yutian thought.
People like Qin Yuanzhuo and Gong Yu weren’t anything special anyway. Dealing with a newcomer would just require more talking at most.
The next evening.
Song Yutian knocked on the door.
Mama Song opened it quickly, and this time, Song Yuan’an was also home.
After Mama Song asked a few questions, expressing her concern for her daughter, she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Song Yutian took a photo from her bag and handed it to Song Yuan’an. "Here, Moying’s signed photo."
"I never asked for it," Song Yuan’an muttered, but his hands still reached out and accepted the photo.
Song Yutian didn’t expose him and instead asked, "School’s starting soon. Finished your homework?"
At this, Song Yuan’an instantly bristled. "Can you stop treating me like a child?"
Song Yutian felt perplexed.
In her eyes, anyone under eighteen was a child, and wasn’t this just a normal question?
Still, Song Yutian changed the subject. "So, did you watch my show? I took first place with Moying, the one you like."
This time, Song Yuan’an glared at her and simply stayed silent.
For the first time, Song Yutian found herself at a loss for words.
She could handle cunning men like Lu Qiao with ease but had no experience dealing with this adolescent, half-grown boy.
Fortunately, after a while, Song Yuan’an spoke up. "For that finale, don’t you need to partner with a family member or friend? Who are you taking?"
Song Yutian hesitated.
Song Yuan’an asked, "It’s not Gu Feng, is it?"
The teenager’s frown of distaste made Song Yutian chuckle. "What’s wrong? You seem to really dislike Gu Feng."
"What’s wrong with disliking him?" Song Yuan’an retorted immediately. "He obviously isn’t a good person."
Song Yutian hadn’t expected Song Yuan’an to have such a poor impression of Gu Feng, especially since he’d never even met the man in person.
Curious now, she pressed further. "What about Lu Qiao? Oh, you might not remember—"
Song Yuan’an cut her off. "I remember that guy. Doesn’t seem like a good person either."
Song Yutian found this amusing—the boy clearly had his own judgment criteria.
She continued testing. "What about Liu Tian?"
This time, Song Yuan’an hesitated before answering. "He’s okay… but seems kinda shady…"
Song Yutian couldn’t help laughing—did he distrust every man on the show?
After some thought, she asked, "Then… Zhong Yueli?"
Song Yuan’an paused even longer. "Seems decent, but his looks aren’t up to par."
Song Yutian was taken aback.
In her opinion, Zhong Yueli had the most striking features among all male contestants.
If she recalled correctly, Zhong Yueli had trended multiple times recently for his period drama costumes—surely, most viewers shared her view.
She pressed. "His looks aren’t good?"
"Not that he’s ugly," Song Yuan’an clarified, "but he’s too… delicate. Not…"
He suddenly broke off, eyeing her suspiciously. "Why are you asking this?"
"Just curious about your reasoning," Song Yutian replied innocently.
After prolonged hesitation, Song Yuan’an blurted out, "Song Yutian, you’re not… with that Zhong Yueli…"
His expression told her everything. She smacked his arm. "Where’s your mind wandering? And since when do you call me by my full name?"
Song Yuan’an looked baffled. "Haven’t I always—"
Their stare-off was interrupted by Mama Song carrying a dish. "Yuan’an, your sister’s right. You shouldn’t always use her full name."
Song Yuan’an pursed his lips rebelliously.
Song Yutian mediated. "It’s fine, Mom. I’m used to it."
In her previous life, she had never been an elder sister—constant "sister" calls might have unsettled her more.
She stood. "Let me serve the rice, Mom."
"No need," Mama Song blocked her with an elbow. "You act all day. Let me do this."
Song Yutian sat back, watching her mother return to the kitchen.
Remembering Mama Song’s words, she tentatively asked Song Yuan’an, "Does Mom… have it hard usually?"
During both visits, she’d seen no trace of their so-called father. The house showed no signs of adult male habitation.
So, Song Yutian guessed that Mama Song, like her mother in her previous life, had never remarried.
Considering her age, Mama Song shouldn’t have retired yet. Song Yutian wondered if she was still working.
Song Yuan’an appeared reluctant to answer. "Same as before, I guess."
Song Yutian wanted to press further but hesitated.
Song Yuan’an seemed to misinterpret her hesitation. "Don’t worry, I can already earn money by editing videos."
After a pause, he added softly, "After the college entrance exam, I’ll get a part-time job. Then you won’t need to work so hard to support us."
Song Yutian blinked before nodding.
Truthfully, Song Yuan’an’s assumption wasn’t entirely accurate—the original "Song Yutian" could hardly be considered working hard, given the scarcity of scripts or variety show invitations she received.
But through his words, Song Yutian finally understood why the former host had been too cash-strapped for skincare products.
Mama Song served dinner, and the trio ate together. Though Mama Song dominated the conversation, Song Yuan’an contributed more than he had during their last meeting.
When Song Yutian moved to clear the table afterward, Mama Song stopped her. "Just watch TV. I’ll handle the dishes," she insisted.
The siblings sat together on the sofa.
Eventually, Song Yuan’an revisited their earlier conversation: "You still haven’t told me—who’s your partner for the finals?"
After brief consideration, Song Yutian admitted, "Haven’t decided. Probably just a random company colleague."
"I’ve got ten days before school starts," Song Yuan’an blurted out.
Realization dawned. "You want to come with me?"
He averted his gaze. "So what if I do?"
Studying him, Song Yutian suddenly grinned. "Song Yuan’an… is this about seeing Su Moying?"
"No!" His instant denial sounded suspiciously defensive.
"Regardless, Mom would never agree."
"Why not? You started acting at seven. I’m seventeen—what’s wrong with joining a show?"
Song Yutian bit back her initial retort. Technically, he wasn’t wrong.
Previous episodes suggested minimal risks—just manageable fatigue. The single-day finals wouldn’t be too grueling. Bringing her brother seemed preferable to partnering with an unfamiliar male colleague while fulfilling his wish to meet his idol.
"Convince Mom yourself. If she agrees, I won’t object."
His eyes lit up. "Really?"
"One day only. Fail tomorrow, and I’m going with colleagues."
"Deal!" His rare smile appeared. "I’ll ask tonight."
Song Yutian chuckled. For all his surface maturity, his eagerness betrayed lingering childishness.
After Mama Song finished cleaning, the family watched TV together. Later, Song Yuan’an walked Song Yutian to the compound entrance as before.
"I’ll persuade her," he vowed.
"Looking forward to it," she said with a smile.
Home again, Song Yutian messaged her agent about including her brother. She needed confirmation before getting Song Yuan’an’s hopes up.
Sister Chen approved: "Good move. Family-friendly images trend well."
The next afternoon, Song Yuan’an’s messages arrived:
[Mom agreed.]
[When’s the program group picking us up?]
[Should I prepare anything?]
His text-only excitement shone through. Song Yutian advised him to rest while awaiting the program group’s instructions.
In the subsequent days, she resumed dance drills and studied Director Cheng’s filmography.
Song Yutian understood dance but not movies. Although it might not be very useful, she still wanted to do some homework in advance.
After watching, she understood why so many actresses wanted to star in Director Cheng’s new script.
Whether in filming techniques or storytelling skills, Director Cheng was indeed a top-notch director.
Song Yutian especially loved one of his works, a piece about art, where the current queen of the film industry, Ren Ling, won the Best Actress award for playing the lead role.
It was hard to imagine that Ren Ling, who was only twenty-four at the time, had portrayed the main character’s age span of several years so well. Thinking about possibly continuing on the path of acting, Song Yutian even wanted to meet Ren Ling to learn from her.
However, with her current skills, it might be difficult for her to achieve this anytime soon.
What Song Yutian did not expect, however, was that in less than a day, her name appeared alongside Ren Ling’s at the top of the trending searches:
#Ren Ling is supporting Song Yutian
The production team officially announced in the evening that Ren Ling would play the female second lead in Director Cheng’s new movie, The Curtain.
Once the news was released, it quickly rose to the top of the trending searches.
The comments section was filled with doubts.
[An Oscar-winning actress supporting her? Who does this Song Yutian think she is?]
[The power of money is terrifying; even an actress like Song can have Ren Ling play a supporting role for her.]
[At first glance, I thought Ren Ling would be the main character. With the Best Actress playing a supporting role, how could Song Yutian dare to take the lead?]
[When they announced Song Yutian as the lead, I felt something was off. Now it looks like a terrible movie controlled by money.]
[It seems another director is about to lose their reputation.]
Song Yutian also received a message from her agent.
Sister Chen: I knew something would happen sooner or later.
Sister Chen: To be honest, if I didn’t know the details, I’d think you were forced into this by the money people.
Sister Chen: Don’t think about responding; it won’t help.
Sister Chen: Let me contact public relations and see if we can remove the trending search.
