Chapter 37: My Kidneys

By the barbecue stall.

The angry girl bit hard into her skewer, her eyes brimming with resentment.

Even if she disliked this woman.

Li Luo had to admit Huang Shengyi was truly beautiful—describing her as stunningly attractive was no exaggeration; among the girls in class, she stood out the most.

“That’s mine—I already ate it.”

After she swallowed the meat, he slowly picked up a mushroom skewer and savored a bite.

Huang Shengyi’s face turned pale; she grabbed a bottle of beer and downed it in one gulp.

“That’s mine too—I already drank it.”

Li Luo pressed on, watching her with amusement.

“Puh~”

A thick spray of beer foam shot out.

Jia Nailiang instantly activated Flash to dodge the attack.

“He’s just teasing you.”

Seeing Huang Shengyi’s eyes welling up, Jia Nailiang quickly waved his hands: “We just sat down—we haven’t touched anything!”

“Enough, enough.”

Wang Luodan sighed in exasperation: “Every time you two meet, it’s like needles clashing with wheat awns.”

Since the start of school and through military training.

They’ve always been like this.

For a while, others suspected Li Luo was using this tactic to court Huang Shengyi—but seeing how utterly indifferent he was, they could only conclude they were oil and water.

Li Luo chewed his mushroom skewer, glancing at Wang Luodan with a grin.

This woman thrives because of her personality.

And she’s ruined by it too.

Her bold, unfiltered nature made her perfect for a role in the drama Struggle, giving her a brief surge of fame—but her reckless tongue offended many, and her star dimmed quickly.

A fellow actress in the industry with a similar niche: One-Finger Zen.

Who swiftly replaced her position.

Wang Luodan and Bian Xiaoxiao quickly stepped in to smooth things over; Huang Shengyi suppressed her urge to leave and sat down, still fuming.

Seeing her expression, Li Luo chuckled inwardly.

Every time he goaded her into a rage, he felt immensely pleased.

Too bad he got no reward for it.

Huang Shengyi couldn’t even get angry—his casual remarks were always impossible to fault.

All she could do was grind her teeth.

“Ding~”

The elevator doors opened.

The glasses-wearing man wiped sweat from his forehead, hurried out, crossed the long corridor, then shoved open the lavish office door: “Boss Wu, I’ve got bad news.”

He saw the man sitting in the boss’s chair, eyes half-closed, clearly enjoying himself.

He froze mid-step, lips tightly shut.

“Mm.”

Only after a full minute did Wu Dun, half-reclined in his chair, open his eyes: “Speak. What is it?”

As he spoke,

a woman with a stunning figure crawled out from beneath the spacious desk.

She wore a tight black pencil skirt, her white blouse unbuttoned halfway—her figure could only be described as a storm of curves, her sultry face framed by black-rimmed glasses.

Though the sight was tempting, the glasses-wearing man dared not look longer.

“Just now,”

he licked his lips, stammering: “I double-checked the contract with Mr. Su and found the fax machine malfunctioned—the contract wasn’t sent.”

“Just resend it, then.”

Wu Dun took the cigar offered by his secretary, exhaled a thick plume of smoke.

His gaze toward his subordinate turned sharp and cruel.

“It’s like this,” the glasses-wearing man pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat: “I just got a call from Mr. Su. While he was waiting for the contract, Qiong Yao paid him a surprise visit.”

“Out of courtesy, he’s already accepted The Return of the Pearl Princess 3.”

“He asked me to apologize to Boss Wu.”

No sooner had he finished than a spark flew through the air—the cigar slammed into the glasses-wearing man’s face.

He didn’t dare move an inch.

The filming schedule for The Return of the Pearl Princess 3 overlaps almost exactly with our upcoming drama—the pre-production is already underway, and in a few months we’re scheduled to start shooting—but our lead actor is now gone.

Just getting hit with a cigar?

Be glad it’s only that!

“You Peng.”

Wu Dun didn’t waste time assigning blame—he immediately picked up the phone: “Yeah, yeah, can you reconsider? Didn’t we already agree?”

“Can’t say no?”

“Penalty fee?”

“Fine.”

The phone clicked dead.

Wu Dun stared gloomily at the ashtray, letting the cigar smoke curl upward.

On the other end, Su Youpeng had practically begged.

That crafty old woman had not only locked the contract but also demanded a hefty penalty fee—Wu Dun couldn’t pay it for her, and her background was no less powerful; he couldn’t just snatch the actor away.

He had no choice but to stay silent.

“F*** you.”

Wu Dun gripped the ashtray, suppressing the urge to hurl it: “What are you still doing here? Go find a suitable replacement!”

“I’ve tried.”

The glasses-wearing man was drenched in sweat, wiping frantically: “All male actors at the same level already have scheduling conflicts.”

“Bang~”

The ashtray flew out in fury, grazing the glasses-wearing man’s head.

It smashed into the filing cabinet, shattering the glass.

Countless shards fell like crystal, clattering onto the TV screen, which was playing the latest version of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

Lin Pingzhi, surrounded by a group of bodyguards, was galloping on horseback.

That image of fine clothes and proud steed

completely captured Wu Dun’s attention.

“Big kidney, here you go~”

With the boss’s call, a full tray of grilled kidneys was placed on the table.

The three girls’ expressions changed slightly.

In their horrified stares, Li Luo grabbed a handful, devouring them one by one with delight, then playfully offered one to Huang Shengyi: “Tastes great—want to try?”

Before she could refuse,

he pulled it back, shaking his head: “Nah, this isn’t the kind of thing a rich girl like you eats. I’ll just enjoy it myself.”

No sooner had he spoken than the skewer was snatched from his hand.

After a moment’s hesitation,

Huang Shengyi closed her eyes and bit down.

Her expression was pure disgust.

But after chewing a few bites, she opened her eyes in surprise: “Actually, it’s delicious. Try some!”

Bian Xiaoxiao and Wang Luodan exchanged glances and immediately reached for the skewers.

Jia Nailiang didn’t hold back at all.

“Hey, those are my kidneys!”

Li Luo ended up losing out—he watched helplessly as the grilled kidneys were swiftly devoured by the others.

“Ring~”

As he brooded, his phone rang in his pocket.

“Big Brother Wu, good evening.”

He glanced at the number, pressed answer, and grinned: “What can I do for you?”

“Yes.”

The voice on the other end was blunt.

It left him speechless.

Wu Dun always spoke straight: “Where are you?”

“Jingcheng.”

"Where?"

"Haidian."

"Be more specific."

"Next to Beijing Electric, behind Huangtingzi Community, second intersection, third table at the old Northeast barbecue stall—I'm sitting at the one facing the roadside." Li Luo swallowed a sip of beer and shrugged.

"Is that specific enough?"

"I'll be there soon."

Wu Dun muttered irritably and hung up the phone.