Chapter 47

After some pleasantries, everyone took their seats.

Wu Dun waved his hand.

Exquisite Lu dishes were served by waiters like a flowing stream: scallion-braised sea cucumber, braised intestines, crystal pork knuckle, fish maw soup, etc., were laid out on a large table, and Moutai was poured into the decanters.

The entire room was filled with the aroma of wine.

Under Yuan Bin's boasting, the others finally learned that Li Luo had saved Xu Qing and that the two had become sworn siblings.

Since he could know Xu Qing.

Then it wasn't strange that Li Luo could know Yu Yu Feihong and call her "sister."

Zhang Teacher Guoli was already an old hand in the Beijing circle.

Coupled with his excellent social skills, his connections were also very deep; although he wasn't in the same group as Jiang Wen or Xu Qing, they were all in the same big circle.

Hearing this connection, he became much more enthusiastic toward Li Luo.

Lai Shui-qing and Yuan Bin were also old acquaintances.

The people at this table could always find a connection; as Li Luo, the youngest in seniority and age, took the initiative to toast everyone, the atmosphere became lively.

He didn't like these kinds of social dinners, but sometimes he couldn't help it.

"Brother Yuan."

Putting down his glass, he asked curiously: "If I'm not mistaken, you should be the martial arts director for the show, right?"

"Hmm."

Yuan Bin nodded and bowed to Wu Dun: "Many thanks to President Wu for his favor."

"Don't talk about that."

Wu Dun picked up a piece of crystal pork knuckle, chewed it slowly, and shook his head: "When I visited your set last year, I found that the martial arts director I had originally hired really wasn't up to the task."

"I could only trouble Master Yuan to come and help out."

"With you in charge."

He gave Yuan Bin a thumbs up: "I feel much more at ease."

The "Seven Little Fortunes" were a gold-plated brand in this circle. After finishing *Laughing in the Wind*, Yuan Bin had gone to direct a movie and wanted to rest for a while.

But he couldn't resist Wu Dun's persistent persuasion and the large fee.

"Leave it to me."

Yuan Bin patted his chest and said unreservedly: "It will definitely be designed beautifully. With Xiao Luo's skills, the fight scenes will surely look good."

Praised, Li Luo hurriedly raised his glass to show his appreciation.

Actually, having Yuan Bin as the martial arts director.

He felt much more at ease.

He didn't know if the martial arts direction in the Su version of *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre* was poor, or if Alec Su's martial arts acting was just too bad, but the fight scenes were quite unbearable to watch, and a large number of stunt doubles were used.

By filling this gap, he believed the final product would be much better.

In the blink of an eye, time entered 2002.

News reports were bustling.

Out of a sense of compensation, after Alec Su finished playing the confusing lead role for a month or two with Wu Dun, he officially announced he would join the *My Fair Princess 3* crew to play the role of Yongqi again.

As for the male lead of *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre*.

It was officially confirmed as Li Luo.

Because of this, he was intercepted by news media outside the Beijing Film Academy for the first time, experiencing the feeling of being surrounded by cameras.

Following closely behind were phone calls from his family.

No matter how isolated the news was.

It would still be noticed by people he knew; his past role as Lin Lin Pingzhi was also dug up.

Suddenly, distant relatives he hadn't seen in ages popped up; when there were too many people, there weren't even enough chairs at home.

For this, Li Luo gave strict instructions.

Smile when you see people, avoid talking about business, don't lend money—you must remember these twelve words.

After considering it, he simply decided not to go home for the winter break.

If he went back, the various annoying things would probably be unbearable; he heard on the phone that even the high school principal had brought gifts to his house, asking when this "outstanding graduate" would return home.

To give the juniors a good lesson.

Li Luo was left crying and laughing.

He figured the lesson was secondary; taking advantage of the situation to "beg for favors" was the subtext.

Where was he even at?

Even if he drained all his blood, it wouldn't be enough; refusing to his face would hurt feelings and ruin his reputation.

Who knows how they would badmouth him later.

It was better to hide; at least he could have some peace.

As the last class of the first semester of his freshman year ended, signaling the official start of the winter break, the students in the class left the classroom one after another, looking forward to the upcoming holiday time.

Li Luo stopped his pen and let out a huge yawn.

Playing two roles was quite a challenge.

The copy of *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre* on his desk was already wrinkled, and character notes were written all over it.

"Hi, Li Luo."

Before he could put his pen down, a graceful figure bounced over: "When are you going back?"

Although she was wearing thick clothes.

One could still see that the person's figure was very good.

Resting her elbows on the desk, Bian Bian Xiaoxiao cupped her chin, scanned the pages with a smile, and then blinked her eyes at Li Luo's handsome face.

She was a total little fan girl.

If one were to say she was purely motivated by self-interest before, her mindset had slowly changed over time.

In her eyes, Li Luo was not only handsome and talented but also wealthy.

Even so, he never slacked off in his work.

So Bian Bian Xiaoxiao's feelings were no longer just self-interest; they were mixed with deep admiration.

"Not going back."

Li Luo shook his head and closed the novel.

"You're staying in Beijing?"

Her eyes lit up, and Bian Bian Xiaoxiao happily sat down next to Li Luo: "That's great! When we're bored during the break, we can go out and play together."

With the classroom emptying out, she wasn't afraid to be more intimate.

During this time, through her deliberate efforts, at least in Bian Bian Xiaoxiao's view, she and the other had become quite close friends; if she could find a way to take it a step further during the break...

Thinking of this, she bit her lip lightly.

"Bian Xiaoxiao."

Li Luo capped his pen and turned to stare at that oval face: "There are some things I must make clear to you."

The timing was just about right.

It was time to push her away a little.

Pulling and pushing—that's what makes it interesting.

"What is it?"

Bian Bian Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat when she saw his serious look.

It must be said that this woman was truly beautiful; her appearance was of the "virtuous wife and good mother" type, a temperament that was particularly prominent in *The Gate of Zhengyang*.

"Actually, I understand what you mean."

Tapping his fingers on the desk, Li Luo said with a smile: "But I'm going to be very busy, and I don't have the time or the energy to start a relationship."

"Sorry."

Looking at her stunned expression, he shook his head slowly: "I'll be focusing on my career for the next few years, and you know how powerful the media is now; I don't want to be caught in anything."

"Between us."

"Let's keep a certain distance."

These words left Bian Bian Xiaoxiao dumbfounded.

She hadn't expected that not only would her hope of taking things further be dashed, but he also wanted to keep his distance; this was the exact opposite of what she had envisioned.

Forget about being a couple; it looked like there was no hope for even being good friends.

She had invested months of effort.

She was extremely unwilling to have it all wiped out in an instant.

"Why?"

Bian Bian Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and hurriedly asked: "Is it because I'm not pretty enough?"

"It has nothing to do with that."

Li Luo continued to shake his head, saying flatly: "You're very pretty, but I really don't want to date, and I don't have the time; you know how it is with filming—once you're on set, it's for months."

Seeing his distant tone, Bian Bian Xiaoxiao felt even more panicked.

The sunk cost was too high.

This was the connection closest to her, and she was extremely unwilling to miss out like this.

"No one says."

A flash of hesitation crossed her mind, but Bian Bian Xiaoxiao immediately made up her mind: "That a man and a woman must be in a romantic relationship."

Without waiting for him to respond.

She quickly grabbed Li Luo's hand and pressed it against herself without hesitation.

"I like you."

Her breathing became rapid, and Bian Bian Xiaoxiao's eyes shimmered: "I don't need you to be my boyfriend; I just need you to be the man behind me, to be my intimate friend—that's enough."

Setting everything else aside, after a semester, Li Luo's image was already deeply imprinted in her heart.

A young girl's heart is also prone to longing.

Not to mention Bian Bian Xiaoxiao had already had that kind of experience.

The man in front of her was handsome and wealthy; she wouldn't mind if something happened.

This time, it was Li Luo's turn to be dumbfounded.

Feeling the elasticity and softness under his hand, he really couldn't say a word.

This was too proactive!

After entering society, he could understand; actors knocking on doors late at night on set was already common practice.

But they were all still students.

He never expected that he would just throw out a basic attack.

And she would immediately use her ultimate move!

Before he could recover, Bian Bian Xiaoxiao quickly scanned the empty tiered classroom and, without a word, dove under the desk.