At this table of four, Long Yubei’s arrival didn’t disturb anyone in the slightest; everyone continued chatting and eating as usual.
But on Long Yubei’s and Shu Ya’s side, it was very quiet.
"Should I say hello?" Shu Ya whispered.
"No need." Long Yubei replied indifferently while glancing through the menu.
Shu Ya offered a gentle smile, "The food here is pretty good, a bit spicy."
He didn’t respond, only ordered a few dishes then handed her the menu.
Shu Ya ordered two more before passing the menu to the waiter.
Their conversation was primarily work-related. Shu Ya wanted to ask about his personal life but couldn’t decide how to start.
When the food arrived, she quietly ate and tentatively asked, "Do you plan on looking for a new partner in the next two years?"
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but Shu Ya was certain that Gu Lili could hear her from behind.
She awaited Long Yubei’s response, but he didn’t say a word.
Literally, no words at all.
He just continued eating as if he hadn’t heard her question.
Long Yubei looked up, his gaze icy, conveying a silent warning that asking forbidden questions was off-limits.
True to form, Shu Ya didn’t inquire further.
They hadn’t been eating long when Gu Lili and her group decided to leave.
They passed by Long Yubei as if they hadn’t seen him, and Long Yubei couldn’t help but glance back at them when they brushed past.
After leaving the restaurant, Antonio and Gu Lili headed to the arts school.
Wearing a mask, they didn’t go to select students from the teachers but rather walked around the campus leisurely.
"Lili, look at that girl, she’s pretty enough..."
"Such a young face filled with hyaluronic acid. "
Antonio then noticed another girl approaching with long, black, straight hair, "What about her?"
"Not attractive enough, easy to get visually fatigued by."
As they talked, Gu Lili’s gaze landed on a tall young man in a white shirt in the distance.
She quickly walked towards him, Antonio hurrying to catch up.
"Hey, wait up." Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on NoveI(F)ire.net
The young man turned around, "Yes?"
Gu Lili looked him up and down, "Are you a student here?"
"Have you signed with any agency?"
He smiled shyly, "Not yet, I haven’t had any training."
"We are from LN Agency..."
Initially mistaking them for frauds, the student was skeptical, but they eventually convinced him. He decided he would think about it and exchanged phone numbers.
Afterward, they spotted an attractive first-year female student who was decisive and agreed to sign with them after confirming Gu Lili and Antonio’s identities.
Unable to find any other suitable candidates, they decided to head back.
Antonio printed the contract with the screenwriter Bai Zhi’an and personally went to her house to sign the contract, while Gu Lili returned to Xiliang Mountain.
Back home and lying on her bed, she stared at the ceiling, her mind empty.
The question Shu Ya asked Long Yubei floated into her mind: Do you plan on looking for a new partner in the next two years?
She thought he would say he was looking.
But she didn’t hear his voice.
Gu Lili closed her eyes, and the moment her eyelids shut, she started feeling sleepy.
Soon, she drifted off into a light sleep.
She dreamt of Long Yubei.
The last person she wanted to see in her dreams.
In the dream, he lay bloodied on the ground in the parking lot she recognized as belonging to Long Group’s premises.