A song called "The You of the Past" has prompted the entire internet to beg me not to leav

One month later. Xinghai City, hillside villa.

Zhang Dagang slumped on the mahogany sofa, clutching a thick stack of audition actor files in his hand, so worried he was about to pluck out his already dwindling hair.

His eyes were sunken and bloodshot, and he looked like he had been drained for three days and three nights.

Lin Yan, wearing a floral apron, walked over carrying a plate of freshly cut chilled watermelon and casually placed it on the coffee table.

"Have some watermelon to cool down. Hey Lao Zhang, the person I asked you to find, you've been working on this for a month, and this is all you've got in return?"

Lin Yan casually picked up a slice of watermelon, his tone exuding a sense of leisure.

Zhang Dagang suddenly raised his head and slammed the documents onto the coffee table with a "thud".

"President Lin, this job is impossible to do!" Zhang Dagang's voice was hoarse, revealing a deep sense of collapse.

"In the past month, I've shamelessly auditioned all the top-tier actors, leading men, and comedy stars in China! What on earth is this 'Supreme Treasure' character in your script?"

"He has to be a bandit, reckless, cowardly, and a bastard. But on top of all that, he has to be a romantic, and at the moment he puts on the golden headband, he has to exude a compassionate and divine quality! Who the hell can pull that off?"

Zhang Dagang was so excited that he kept slapping his thigh.

"These young male celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry, when they play bandits, it's like they're doing a fashion show in the mountains; when they play monkeys, it's like they're performing acrobatics in a zoo. Comedians do have that kind of swagger, but when it comes to emotional scenes, all the audience wants to do is laugh at their faces. Where's the sense of tragedy and destiny?"

Lin Yan slowly pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands, then pulled over a chair and sat down.

"So, what's your conclusion?"

Zhang Dagang stared intently at Lin Yan, his eyes revealing a resolute determination to burn his bridges.

He suddenly stood up and stared intently at Lin Yan's handsome face, which was flawless from every angle, and at the contradictory aura he possessed—able to wear flip-flops and eat at a street food stall, yet also be dressed in a suit and play the violin.

"President Lin, this is a role no one else can play," Zhang Dagang said confidently. "Only you can do it yourself."

Lin Yan was stunned for a second, then laughed in anger.

"Zhang Dagang, have you lost your mind? I'm a retired cook at home, and you want me to go to the Northwest to eat sand and act like a monkey?" Lin Yan waved his hands repeatedly.

"No, I'm not going. This script was given to you out of kindness, don't push your luck."

"Thump!"

Zhang Dagang knelt down on one knee next to the sofa and tightly hugged Lin Yan's thigh with both hands.

"Lin Yan! Ancestor Lin! Can you bear to watch this masterpiece be ruined by the casting? Can you bear to let those expressionless internet celebrities ruin Supreme Treasure?"

Zhang Dagang decisively switched to a shameless and persistent mode.

"If you don't act, I'll just stay on your sofa all day! I might as well not film this movie at all!"

Lin Yan hated this kind of shameless tactic the most. He tried to pull his leg, but he couldn't budge it.

"Let go first."

"You agree first!"

Lin Yan sighed helplessly. He knew better than anyone that people in this time and space simply couldn't grasp the essence of Zhou's nonsensical style in "A Chinese Odyssey".

The complex layers of Supreme Treasure's outward madness and inner struggle would most likely have resulted in an awkward and terrible film if any other actor in the current Chinese entertainment industry had portrayed him.

"Fine. I'll take the lead role." Lin Yan resigned himself to his fate with a cold face.

Overjoyed, Zhang Dagang jumped up and brushed the dust off his knees.

But less than two seconds later, a constipated look appeared on his face.

"Um... Mr. Lin, the male lead role is sorted out. But what about Fairy Zixia...?"

Zhang Dagang rubbed his hands together, carefully observing the situation.

"In your script, this woman is described as someone who loves and hates intensely, a bit neurotic, but deep down she has to be ethereal and otherworldly."

"Most actresses in the Chinese entertainment industry either have had too much hyaluronic acid or their acting is too slick. I can't find this kind of cool yet lively temperament anywhere else, even if I searched the ground three feet deep."

Lin Yan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Just then, a "beep" sound came from the villa's door as it unlocked with a fingerprint.

Shen Qingqiu walked in, the sound of her high heels clicking crisply on the floor, her delicate and cold face exuding an aura of aloofness that kept strangers at bay.

When she saw the two people in the living room, the icy resolve in her eyes softened slightly.

"Director Zhang is here too?" Shen Qingqiu changed into slippers, her voice clear and pleasant.

Lin Yan and Zhang Dagang's gazes simultaneously fell on Shen Qingqiu.

Zhang Dagang's eyes widened instantly.

Aloof, proud, and stunningly beautiful.

Isn't this just like Zixia Fairy straight out of the book?!

But he immediately shut his mouth and let the ice queen with a net worth of hundreds of billions go to the Northwest film crew to play a comedic crazy girl?

Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to say that. He could only poke Lin Yan with his finger.

Lin Yan narrowed his eyes, his mind racing with calculations.

Shen Qingqiu took off his coat, hung it up, walked to the sofa, sat down, and casually picked up a toothpick to poke a piece of watermelon.

"How's the film crew's preparation going?" she asked casually.

"There's a big problem."

Lin Yan immediately moved closer and sat down next to Shen Qingqiu, her tone instantly turning aggrieved.

"Director Zhang couldn't find a male lead, so he begged me to act in it."

Shen Qingqiu paused, turned to look at Lin Yan: "Are you going to film a movie?"

"I'm not going. The ultraviolet rays are so strong in the Northwest. What if I get tanned to a crisp and you don't like it?"

Lin Yan leaned on Shen Qingqiu's shoulder.

Zhang Dagang's eyes twitched violently as he watched from the side.

Am I some kind of god-level master?

This gigolo's behavior is so skillful it's heartbreaking!

"A tan makes you look healthy."

Shen Qingqiu gently stroked Lin Yan's hair, his tone full of indulgence.

"Go ahead and take the photos if you want; consider it a way to relax."

"That won't work."

Lin Yan suddenly sat up straight, his eyes extremely serious, and began to set a trap in a solemn manner.

"Honey, think about it. There are quite a few romantic scenes between Supreme Treasure and Fairy Zixia in the script. I heard that Lao Zhang is going to find a young female college graduate to play the female lead."

Lin Yan sighed and continued her witty remarks: "I get easily immersed in my roles when filming, and what if some sparks fly on set... Besides, there are kissing scenes."

"Kissing scene?"

Shen Qingqiu stopped chewing the watermelon instantly.

She swallowed the fruit, slowly pulled out a tissue, and elegantly wiped her mouth.

Those beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and the temperature in the living room seemed to drop dramatically in that instant.

Zhang Dagang was so frightened that he almost stopped breathing.

"Not only are there kissing scenes, but they also have to share a passionate kiss on the city wall at the end." Lin Yan continued to fan the flames.

"There's nothing I can do, Director Zhang insisted I act in it. I can only compromise and find any actress to stand in for me..."

"No." Shen Qingqiu coldly uttered two words, directly interrupting him.

She turned to look at Zhang Dagang, her eyes sharp as knives: "Have you chosen someone for the female lead yet?"

Zhang Dagang shook his head frantically, his head bobbing like a rattle drum.

"Send me the script." Shen Qingqiu's tone was calm, but he didn't give anyone room to object. "I happen to be thinking of taking a long vacation recently."

Zhang Dagang was so shocked that his mouth dropped open.

That's it?!

A powerful, icy queen of the entertainment industry, lured into the sand dunes of Northwest China by a few jealous words from her husband?!

Lin Yan was overjoyed inside, but pretended to be extremely embarrassed on the outside.

"Honey, that's the Northwest, all sand. And you'll be wearing tattered ancient costumes, it'll be very tough."

"As long as your co-star is you, it doesn't matter where we film."

Shen Qingqiu saw through Lin Yan's little scheme at a glance, but didn't care at all.

She raised her hand and pinched Lin Yan's cheek, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"But I'm warning you, if you dare to even glance at another actress on set, you'll be sleeping in a hotel room for three months."

Lin Yan took her hand in his own and gently kissed it.

"Besides you, who else is worthy to be my Zixia?"

Zhang Dagang stood to the side, burping from the unexpected display of affection.

He silently turned around, took out his phone, and sent a WeChat message to the assistant director with trembling hands.

[Booking flights to Yinchuan tomorrow. The male and female leads are all set.]

The other end replied instantly: 【So fast? Who is it?】

Zhang Dagang took a deep breath and typed a reply: [The Group's Supreme Emperor and Empress Dowager. Prepare to welcome them.]