"The performance itself wasn’t bad, but I feel like… something’s missing. Hmm, a sense of conflict maybe?"
The director reviewed the footage, shaking his head in dissatisfaction.
"Conflict?"
"Yeah. Your song has a strong rise after suppression structure. The chorus release is great, but the buildup before it—still not quite there."
Bai Yi hesitated, glancing at Yan Huan before admitting,
"I actually had some conflict elements in my original script, but… due to certain real-life considerations, we removed them…"
She was referring to the parts that subtly hinted at her strained relationship with her mother—scenes Yan Huan had advised her to cut.
The director cast her a thoughtful look before sighing,
"The problem isn’t just about specific elements. It’s about me not crafting enough tension between the characters… Let me think about how to adjust it."
He rubbed his chin, deep in thought, but his expression soon turned annoyed.
His gaze drifted past Yan Huan and Bai Yi to the crowd gathered behind them.
"F***ing hell. These corporate big shots—when are they gonna leave? It’s so damn noisy… They’re never doing real work, just running around making a mess for the rest of us."
Massaging his temples, he stood up.
"You two take a break. I’m gonna figure this out."
Grumbling, the director walked off, leaving Yan Huan to exhale deeply.
For some reason, he had actually started accepting Ye Shiyu’s presence here.
At least… Spencer wasn’t around, right?
That was his only consolation.
"Yan Huan, I’m gonna get a quick touch-up. Want to come?"
Bai Yi held up a compact mirror, checking her appearance.
Her makeup hadn’t worn off much, but her hair and outfit had gotten a little messy from all the movement.
"I’ll pass. My face should still be fine. Besides, the male lead doesn’t even get proper close-ups—I barely need makeup."
Bai Yi playfully wagged a finger at him.
"Says who? Aunt Ye just said handsome guys boost work efficiency. You’re practically a team morale booster."
Yan Huan chuckled.
"You met Aunt Ye just now and already treating her words like law?"
"I conveniently omitted the ‘handsome and beautiful’ part. That means I’m the one saying it now."
She winked, standing up.
"Alright, I’ll be back soon."
"Okay."
Watching her leave, Yan Huan pulled out his phone and casually started scrolling through videos.
Not long after, Meow-chan suddenly appeared on his shoulder, whispering,
"Yan Huan, Ye Shiyu’s here. What now, meow?"
"What do you mean ‘what now’? Aunt Ye’s here—she won’t let anything happen."
"Don’t get too optimistic, meow. This is Golden Lion territory. If Ye Shiyu can be here… what if Spencer shows up too? She does know you’re filming."
"......"
Yan Huan’s expression froze.
He immediately glanced around, scanning for any trace of Spencer.
Not seeing her, he exhaled in relief and was just about to reassure himself when—
"Oi!"
"......"
Yan Huan stiffened.
No way.
Slowly, dreadfully, he turned his head toward the sound.
Just outside the filming set, crouching suspiciously behind a metal equipment rack, was a figure in a gray hoodie.
A hint of wavy, golden hair peeked out.
A single strikingly blue eye peered his way.
If that wasn’t Spencer—who the hell else could it be?
"…Meow-chan, you cursed-mouth bastard!!"
"Meow?!"
Yan Huan instantly turned back around, pretending he saw nothing.
"Oi, Yan Huan!"
"......"
Nope. Didn’t see. Didn’t hear.
"Thump!"
Something soft bonked the back of his head.
Frowning, he reached back, picked up the object, and stared at it.
A small chibi-style golden bomb pig plushie lay in his hands.
His face darkened.
Why the hell does she carry these things around?!
With an exasperated sigh, he tossed the plushie back toward her.
Spencer caught it easily, but when she looked back up—Yan Huan had already turned away, completely ignoring her.
Her cheeks puffed out in frustration.
Glancing around cautiously at the nearby executives and staff, she hunched over and stealthily crept toward him.
Yan Huan observed her sneaky movements out of the corner of his eye.
Something felt off.
For someone as bold and reckless as Spencer, why was she suddenly acting so… timid?
"Yan Huan! Why are you ignoring me?!"
She finally reached him, hissing her complaint before even stepping fully inside the set.
Yan Huan gave her a deadpan look.
"Why should I acknowledge you?"
"Hah?! You—"
Spencer flared up immediately, but just as quickly, her voice halted.
Clenching her fists, her face turned slightly red, and she averted her eyes.
"Even though… Even though I stole your most precious thing… I didn’t know at the time! So it’s not completely my fault, right?"
"......"
Yan Huan stared at her blankly.
What the hell is she talking about?
"Are you a dumbass?" he finally said.
"Hah?!"
Her voice spiked, but she immediately clapped a hand over her mouth—
Like she was actually scared of being heard.
Yan Huan smirked.
"This is your family’s building. Why are you sneaking around like a thief?"
"None of your business—"
Yan Huan observed her again.
Her voice had dropped back down, her posture slightly hunched, her gaze shifting uncertainly.
After a moment’s pause, he suddenly opened his mouth and called out—
"Hey! Someone—"
"Shhh!!"
Spencer panicked, lunging forward to cover his mouth.
Yan Huan swiftly dodged, catching her wrist instead.
"You leaving, or should I actually call security?"
"You—!"
Spencer gritted her teeth.
Then, as if a wicked idea struck her, she smirked devilishly.
"Fine, Yan Huan. You think you’re clever? Don’t forget—I still have four chances left."
"Not interested. I’m busy."
"Oh? Trying to weasel out of it?"
Yan Huan, still gripping her wrist, watched as her confident glare began to flicker.
Then—
Her cheeks flushed red, and she hesitated before mumbling,
"…I-I’ll… kiss you…"
"......"
Yan Huan froze.
His gaze flickered to her lips—
Soft. Slightly parted. Her tongue barely visible.
Involuntarily, he felt saliva gather in his mouth.
Several seconds passed before he forced himself to snap out of it.
Pushing her hand away in irritation, he scowled.
"Are you seriously insane? Did you finish your homework? Did your club win the competition? Do you have nothing better to do? I’m telling you, I don’t have time for this today."
"It’s just an MV shoot!"
"Will you leave?!"
"Hah?! This is my house, okay?!"
"Then go tell your family I called security on you."
Their argument escalated.
Neither of them noticed—
Outside the set, the director had returned, leaning against the wall with interest.
He had originally gone to confront President William but never got that far—he had been turned away before even seeing Milos.
On his way back, he had overheard a new female voice arguing with Yan Huan.
Curious, he peeked inside—
And froze.
The arrogant girl, standing with her hands on her hips, flustered and fuming at the deadpan young man—
He had only seen her once before.
But that one time, he had watched the usually stone-faced William treat her with nothing but gentleness.
That wasn’t just any girl.
That was the heiress of the Black Gold Family.
And she was… flirting?
The director narrowed his eyes.
Interesting…
Was this kid planning to… eat soft rice (live off a rich woman)?
“I see now! You’re just saying the opposite of what you mean!”
“??”
Yan Huan rubbed his temples, barely holding back a laugh from sheer exasperation.
"Wait, don’t tell me Thursday’s kiss actually drained the few IQ points you had left?"
Kiss…?
Ariya Spencer…?
Outside, the director bit down on all his fingers at once.
He couldn’t take it anymore.
This guy—was he for real?!
She was the eldest daughter of the Black Gold Family!
That mouth was probably worth its weight in gold!
And yet… he was making it sound like he was the one who suffered?!
Is this the highest form of “eating soft rice”?! (Living off a rich woman while acting like the one in charge?)
“……”
Eyes red with disbelief (or maybe jealousy), the director continued spying.
Then, in his peripheral vision—
A different girl, dressed in black with long, straight hair, silently approached the set.
This one, he had seen before too…
Wasn’t she the girl who had arrived with Ye International’s CEO?
Ye Lan’s daughter?
Ye Shiyu hadn’t caught the earlier conversation, but she had seen their heated argument.
“Yan Huan, you bastard! I finally worked up the courage to talk to you about this, and you’re just gonna keep pretending otherwise?! Don’t regret it later!”
“Thank the heavens, I already regret it.”
Yan Huan’s face was full of disdain, and when Spencer noticed his absolute lack of interest, she scowled.
Ye Shiyu, standing outside, fell into deep thought.
She remembered the time Spencer had caused a scene during the Student Council’s recruitment meeting.
Later, she had heard that Spencer had joined some kind of study group.
A troublemaker—arrogant, spoiled, yet somehow protected by the school.
No doubt, as Student Council President, Xiao Huan must find her to be a huge pain…
Her mother had told her—help Xiao Huan solve his problems.
If this wasn’t a problem, what was?
A faint, eerie purple glow flickered across her phone screen.
Now then… what to do?
“……”
Meanwhile, the director was still lurking, observing Ye Shiyu with intrigue.
But the moment her abyss-like eyes snapped to him, he flinched.
Sht!*
The sheer intensity of her gaze sent a chill down his spine, forcing him to look away.
Ye Shiyu didn’t say a word.
She merely stared at the Golden Lion Group emblem on his chest, taking note of the identification badge pinned beside it.
Then, slowly, an idea took root in her mind…
Her gaze turned even less human.
Inside the director’s tent, Spencer was rapidly losing patience.
At first, she had felt guilty for stealing Yan Huan’s "precious first kiss."
But his constant deflections, his denials, his refusal to just admit it—
Was she not ruthless enough?
A mere kiss on the lips wasn’t enough to shatter his pride?
Then… what if she took things a step further?
Her face reddened at the thought.
Her gaze lingered on Yan Huan’s lips.
She had an overwhelming urge to seize that stubborn tongue of his and thoroughly put him in his place.
"Tap… tap…"
Suddenly, footsteps echoed from outside.
“Sh*t! Someone’s coming!”
Spencer’s expression froze—her fight-or-flight instinct kicking in.
Just as she turned to flee—
Yan Huan’s hand clamped around her wrist.
"You were fine with staying a second ago—why run now?"
Though he had no idea why she, of all people, would be scared of her own family’s staff, her reaction was way too genuine to be an act.
"You—you let go!"
"What if I don’t?"
"Then… then I’ll… I’ll…!"
Spencer’s mind raced.
She suddenly recalled what the AI had told her the other night.
Clenching her teeth—
She yanked herself forward, squeezed her eyes shut, and kissed him.
Except—
In her panic, she miscalculated the angle.
Instead of his lips—
"Smooch~"
She kissed the corner of his mouth.
A soft, feather-light peck.
Yan Huan froze.
The moment of hesitation was all she needed.
Spencer immediately yanked her wrist free and backed away.
Seeing his wide-eyed reaction, her lips curled into a smug smirk.
She playfully pulled down her lower eyelid and taunted,
"See? And you say you weren’t lying, dummy!"
“……”
"You’d better brace yourself—I will make you understand today!"
Before he could even react, she spun around and bolted.
Yan Huan, still reeling, touched the slightly damp corner of his mouth.
Then, as the approaching footsteps entered the tent, he glanced up.
“Director, you’re back?”
The director entered with an unreadable expression, his gaze unnervingly straight.
"A girl named ‘Ye Shiyu’ is looking for you. She wants you to go over."
“Shiyu-jie?”
Yan Huan’s stomach twisted.
He peeked outside.
His first question was—Is Aunt Ye here?
If Aunt Ye was present, he’d go.
If not… he wasn’t about to walk into a hypnosis death trap.
“……”
No sign of her.
Abort mission.
"Director, I’ll head over to check. Be back soon."
“……”
The director remained eerily silent.
Yan Huan squinted.
Something felt off.
From his shoulder, Meow-chan whispered,
"Meow… Yan Huan, Ye Shiyu—"
"I know, Meow-chan. Stay calm. Let’s see what she wants."
"Meow~"
Feigning ignorance, Yan Huan glanced around one last time before heading toward the designated meeting point.
The moment he left—
From the shadows, Ye Shiyu emerged.
Her face was expressionless.
She turned, her gaze fixed in the direction Spencer had run.
“……”
Clenching her phone tightly, she stepped forward—
Heading after her target.
"Hmph~"
Beyond the Golden Lion Entertainment set, a hallway linked to storage rooms and unused offices.
This area, near an emergency exit, was rarely used.
Spencer, having successfully fled, plopped onto the floor, pulled out her phone, and resumed playing Angry Little Pigs.
But—
Her aim was off.
Shot after shot, the pigs missed their targets.
Clearly, her mind was elsewhere.
"Tch."
With an annoyed sigh, she locked her screen.
The dim glow reflected off her still-flushed face.
Her heart was racing again, her entire face burning.
“……”
It had been just a tactical escape—
So why did she feel so… unsatisfied?
She liked the sensation of kissing.
It was… addicting.
"Ugh, so annoying… It’s not like I actually enjoyed it or anything…"
Spencer, much like Yan Huan, had a habit of talking to herself when alone.
Pouting, she reopened her game, attempting to clear her thoughts.
"Tap… tap… tap…"
Then—
A set of footsteps echoed through the empty hallway.
Spencer stiffened, glancing toward the corridor.
No one?
"Shhhhhh…"
A faint gust of wind brushed past, though she couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
The temperature around her suddenly dropped.
Her earlier warmth was swiftly replaced by an unsettling chill.
"Zzzzzzz…"
The hallway lights flickered.
"H-huh? W-what the hell?"
A childhood memory flashed through her mind—
The time she accidentally clicked on a horror movie on her mother’s tablet.
She had been so scared she couldn’t sleep alone for a week.
No… No way…
There’s no such thing as ghosts… Right?
"Come out—come out now! Or else I’ll—"
"Zzzzzzz…"
The lights went out completely.
Electronic screens along the walls glitched, filling with static.
"G-GHOST?!?!"
Spencer’s legs nearly gave out.
From the darkness, a tall figure emerged—
A dim purple vortex glowing ominously in her hands.
As the flickering lights briefly illuminated the corridor—
Ye Shiyu’s expressionless face appeared.
"Y-you’re… Yan Huan’s sister…?"