Chapter 273

They were clearly just two ordinary words, yet to Gao Yuanyuan, they sounded incredibly pleasant.

Although she hadn't had much contact with Ye Xuan before, from their brief meetings, she could feel a sense of aloofness and coldness about him.

This sudden visit had her worried at first that she might incur Ye Xuan's displeasure!

If Ye Xuan knew her thoughts, he might even chuckle at them himself.

Aloofness and coldness?

He simply had no desire to get involved with the entertainment industry.

At this moment, seeing Ye Xuan pick up the shrimp she had passed him, Gao Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief, her brows and eyes filled with smiles.

"There's no need for thanks. Being able to do something for you is exactly what I've been hoping for."

Her soft, gentle voice was like a spring rain, refreshing and soothing to the heart.

But to Editor Hua, it only made his heart feel even more sour.

With his mind occupied by one lemon after another, Editor Hua unconsciously picked up a lemon slice used as a garnish for the boiled fish.

Without thinking, he stuffed it into his mouth, and the next instant, Editor Hua wore a mask of agony and spat it out.

"Hiss!"

It was sour enough to kill old Hua!

Hearing the commotion from Editor Hua, Ye Xuan, while chewing the incredibly delicious shrimp in his mouth, asked subconsciously.

"Editor Hua, what's wrong?"

He saw Editor Hua's entire face crunched into a ball, pointing at the lemon on the plate.

"Nothing, just got hit by the sourness."

Nothing?!

Nothing my foot!

He currently felt as if he were swimming back and forth in a sea of lemons.

At this moment, Editor Hua's expression was also taken in by Ye Xuan.

Editor Hua was truly a tough guy.

To be so afraid of sourness yet still eat lemons—what a unique hobby!

Just as Ye Xuan was marveling at this, he saw an incredibly fair, slender hand push another plate of peeled mantis shrimp in front of him.

At the same time, Gao Yuanyuan's refreshing voice rang out.

"Mr. Ye, please continue eating; I'll help you peel some crab."

Hearing this, Editor Hua couldn't help but pick up another lemon slice and stuff it into his mouth.

Ah!

So sour and refreshing!

It's so exhilaratingly sour!

Not noticing Editor Hua's deepening love for lemons, Ye Xuan had already buried his head in finishing the bowl of shrimp and the plate of mantis shrimp before him.

Not long after, seeing another plate of peeled crab pushed over, Ye Xuan asked slowly about the purpose of Gao Yuanyuan's visit.

"Miss Gao, what brings you to Qianzhou this time?!"

As soon as the question was asked, Gao Yuanyuan still wore a gentle smile, but her expression grew subtly more serious.

"Mr. Ye, I am here for *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*."

Seeing the importance Gao Yuanyuan placed on it, Ye Xuan felt a flicker of doubt and gestured with his eyes for her to continue.

The next instant, Gao Yuanyuan's almond eyes brightened, her voice soft yet tinged with firmness.

"Mr. Ye, I am your loyal fan.

I have read every book in the *Condor Trilogy* more than ten times, and among them, I like *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* the most.

I don't know why, but the moment I saw the character Zhou Zhiruo, I felt she had walked into my heart.

I find myself happy with her joy, angry with her rage, sorrowful with her grief, and delighted with her pleasure.

She is clearly a person who gazes at flowers by the water, yet she is conflicted from beginning to end.

Wandering between choices of love and career from start to finish, and in the end, failing to find a good outcome in either..."

As Gao Yuanyuan spoke of her understanding of the character Zhou Zhiruo, Ye Xuan nodded from time to time in approval whenever she hit the mark.

After all, in another world, Gao Yuanyuan had played the most unforgettable version of Zhou Zhiruo.

At that time, the director had searched across the land to find the actress for the role of Zhou Zhiruo.

She needed to be pure and gentle, movingly beautiful, yet also capable of becoming demonic for love, hating what she could not possess.

Until Gao Yuanyuan appeared.

However, by comparison, the current Gao Yuanyuan's understanding of the character Zhou Zhiruo was still slightly immature.

With a slight movement in his eyes, Ye Xuan couldn't help but put down his chopsticks and explain it to Gao Yuanyuan casually.

"Zhou Zhiruo was originally the daughter of a boatman by the Han River. If she hadn't met Zhang Wuji in this life, and hadn't encountered that tragedy, she would have been just an orchid in an empty valley, born by the river and buried in the wilderness, her lonely beauty unappreciated by anyone.

It is a pity that an orchid from an empty valley was transplanted to the Golden Summit of Mount Emei, growing the sharp thorns of the love flower and the toxicity of crane-top red..."

At this moment, following Ye Xuan's explanation, Gao Yuanyuan seemed to see the life of Zhou Zhiruo.

Listening, she became gradually entranced.

She had originally thought she had grasped the essence of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*.

After all, she could recount the plot trends before and after any page she flipped to.

But she hadn't expected that she had only seen the surface beneath Zhou Zhiruo's gentle appearance.

So this was the real Zhou Zhiruo!

Now, listening to Ye Xuan's words, flashes of realization crossed Gao Yuanyuan's eyes one after another.

When Ye Xuan mentioned details in *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* that she had never noticed, Gao Yuanyuan couldn't help but exclaim.

"How did I never notice that?!"

"So that's what Mr. Ye was thinking from the beginning."

"It seems I only understood the fur."

With every sentence that fell, the look she gave Ye Xuan added a few more layers of admiration.

*The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* was, after all, a world created by Mr. Ye Xuan before her.

Every bit more she learned about *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, was it not also learning a bit more about Mr. Ye Xuan?

Once this thought emerged, Gao Yuanyuan couldn't control the heat rising in her earlobes.

By the time Ye Xuan finished speaking, Gao Yuanyuan had completely transformed into a little fan girl meeting her idol, unwilling to shift her gaze from Ye Xuan for even a second.

Even Editor Hua, who had been so sour just a moment ago, was listening in fascination.

This was the storytelling of Ye Xuan, a Nobel Prize winner in Literature!

To be able to hear it was a blessing of three lifetimes!

Not until Ye Xuan seemed to feel thirsty and picked up his cup, making a crisp sound, did Gao Yuanyuan snap back to reality.

Noticing Ye Xuan's action, she hurriedly stood up and waved to call the waiter.

When the waiter brought the freshly brewed tea, Gao Yuanyuan immediately picked up the teapot and poured tea into Ye Xuan's cup.

The scalding tea fell into the fine white porcelain cup, steaming up a faint layer of mist.

When she handed the teacup back to Ye Xuan, her tone still carried a hint of joy.

"Mr. Ye, thank you so much today.

I had originally thought of troubling you to introduce me.

But now, having heard your analysis, I will go to the audition for the crew, and you can just wait for my good news..."

The implication was clear: she was confident in her ability to land the role of Zhou Zhiruo.

Meeting the gentle smile on Gao Yuanyuan's face, Ye Xuan took a sip of tea and nodded slightly.

"Then, I'll wait for your good news."