Chapter 417 - 266: I Only Want to Film That Kind of Movie

Chapter 417: Chapter 266: I Only Want to Film That Kind of Movie

Taking the puppy upstairs, Lin Chu arrived at his room.

It was a garden-balcony room on the top floor of the guesthouse. The back window faced the lush, green Cang Mountain, and the front window looked out over the shimmering waters of Erhai.

The balcony was filled with nameless flowers, blooming in a spectacular display of color.

’It’s certainly worth the price.’

After a refreshing shower, he stepped out of the bathroom to see Ergou lying obediently by the door. The little dog had been waiting for him the whole time, and as soon as he came out, it started wagging its tail and following at his heels.

After changing into a fresh set of clothes, Lin Chu took a look at himself in the mirror.

Tsk.

’What a clean-cut, handsome young man.’

The phone on the bed suddenly began to ring.

The caller ID showed it was Li Ke’er.

He answered.

"Hey there, beautiful. Any instructions for me?"

Lin Chu was in a good mood, his tone light and cheerful.

"I wouldn’t dare give *you* instructions. I’m just calling to report a couple of things."

Li Ke’er replied with a teasing laugh of her own.

"I’m all ears."

"First thing: I landed a new role as the female lead. It’s a bootlicker-type character."

She said this with a smile, trying to keep her voice calm, but she couldn’t suppress the sheer joy that was bubbling up.

The director hadn’t taken notice of her for any other reason, of course. It was all because of the recent media hype, which had allowed this "piece of gold"—her—to finally catch his eye.

Of course, more than eighty percent of the credit for that belonged to Lin Chu.

’That publicity stunt was a huge success!’

It had carved out a brand-new niche for her acting career.

Especially now, at this turning point in public opinion.

After all, the audience for most TV dramas in the past had been predominantly female. The "strong female lead"—beautiful, cool, and capable—was the archetype everyone wanted to see, and those roles had immense commercial value.

But now... things were undoubtedly changing. While the new landscape wasn’t clear yet, a new trend was beginning to emerge.

The entertainment industry, always the first to sense a changing tide, had investors who had already caught wind of this. They were preparing to pivot and establish a new aesthetic standard of value.

And right at this critical juncture, she had burst onto the scene.

"Haha, congrats... So, how are you going to thank me?"

Lin Chu said, laughing.

’Looks like my judgment was spot on.’

’He was happy to see her career progressing. After all, even a brief fling can create a lasting bond of goodwill. And while they hadn’t even had that, their arrangement had at least been mutually beneficial.’

"Huh? I’m supposed to thank you?"

Li Ke’er was left speechless, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Lin Chu: "Nothing too extravagant. Just give me half your pay for the role."

Her: "..."

After a few seconds of silence, she said plaintively, "You’re already so rich, and you’re still after my spare change..."

"HAHAHAHA..."

"How else do you think I got so rich?"

"Alright, enough joking. What’s the second thing? Hurry up, I’m about to go for a run."

Lin Chu cut the joke short and urged her on.

"Okay, the second thing. The investors want me to keep the scandal going and play up the tragedy even more. And... if possible, they’d like to ask you to make a guest appearance in the show. You’d basically play a scumbag ex-boyfriend who used me and then callously abandoned me, leaving me heartbroken. It’s not a lot of screen time, maybe ten minutes or so. Are you interested?"

This was actually two separate matters, but they could be combined into one.

All in all, the goal was to generate more buzz for the show, solidify Li Ke’er’s public persona, and create a publicity gimmick.

It would create a strange and fascinating interplay between fiction and reality.

"Hype it up! I have no problem with that."

"As for me being in it, how much are they paying? Are there any love scenes? I’m not doing it if there aren’t any love scenes."

Lin Chu held his phone, scooped up his dog, and headed out the door, laughing as he walked.

Li Ke’er: "..."

Once again, she was at a loss for words.

’He’s so shameless.’

’Anyone else would keep a request like that to themselves. Maybe they’d try to sneak in some tongue during filming and "accidentally" cause a few more takes. But you? You have to spell it out beforehand, don’t you?’

"Well, if you want them, you can have them. I can add you to the group chat, and you can tell the director yourself."

"Besides, even if there are love scenes, they’ll be with me."

She let out a laugh like tinkling bells, feeling no need to be shy. Although they hadn’t spent much time together, it felt like they were old friends.

It was mainly Lin Chu’s "charming rogue" persona that made it so easy to talk to him without any inhibitions or need for restraint.

"What do you mean, ’besides’?"

"That won’t do. I demand love scenes with the female lead, the second female lead, and the third female lead. Kissing scenes, at the very least."

Lin Chu continued to talk nonsense.

’He had to admit, though, the suggestion was actually quite appealing.’

Just then, Lin Chu suddenly felt the atmosphere turn a little strange.

He glanced down and saw a dozen or so people in the first-floor lobby at the bottom of the stairs. Having clearly heard what he’d just said, they were all staring up at him.

There were white-haired seniors, middle-aged couples, and a few attractive young men and women.

PFFT!

The receptionist couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

She recognized Lin Chu and had heard everything he said on his way down. Acting as if nothing was amiss, she smiled and asked, "Mr. Lin, are you heading out?"

Lin Chu kept the phone to his ear, gave her a little wave, and walked straight-faced toward the exit, continuing his conversation. "About this show..."

’Fuck!’

’This was awkward, but not quite to the point of social suicide.’

He thought he heard soft chuckles from the crowd behind him, but since he was already out the door, Lin Chu paid them no mind.

’Who’s going to recognize me out here, anyway?’

’I couldn’t care less.’

He exchanged a few more words with Li Ke’er, asking for the names of the director, screenwriter, and main cast before hanging up. Leash in hand, he began to jog at an incredibly slow pace along the path beside Erhai.

’Asking me to act?’

’Heh. To be honest, there’s only one kind of "film" I’m interested in.’