Chapter 17: Recommendation

Although Chen Nuo sensed a kindred spirit in Ma Yanran and thus adopted an attitude of avoidance, this girl seemed to have truly locked onto him. Having barely managed to escape their chance encounter at the cafeteria at noon, he was now forced to accept being desk-mates during the afternoon class.

The very, very wicked side of Chen Nuo’s heart began to stir.

Damn it, why not just go for it? The last time he’d had a taste of meat was, well, last time; a friendly chat wouldn't be the end of the world. Besides, it’s not like she’d expect him to take responsibility, and if he actually tried to, she might just slap him twice and tell him to get lost and stop trying to take advantage of her.

But his very, very good side remained strong.

What did you tell yourself when you were reborn? Being a scumbag is not my wish, university is worth more; if it’s for the sake of semiconductors, both can be cast aside. Chen Nuo, have you forgotten your vows and your resolve?

I dare not forget, I dare not forget! Chen Nuo secretly encouraged himself.

A battle between heaven and man, and heaven was still the victor.

After class in the afternoon, Chen Nuo didn't give Ma Yanran any chance to speak. The moment the teacher left, he slipped out right behind, running at full speed. By the time Ma Yanran chased him out of the classroom, she couldn't even find his shadow.

The other girls were also left dumbfounded! Why is this person like this? Is he really that hard to catch?

Chen Nuo fought a guerrilla war with Ma Yanran for three days like this, which also guerrilla-ed away his chances of being a scumbag. On this day, Li Er came to teach the acting class again. After class, Li Er suddenly said, "Chen Nuo, come with me for a moment."

Amidst the surprised and envious gazes of his classmates, Chen Nuo followed Li Er.

Once in the office, Li Er glanced at Chen Nuo twice and asked indifferently, "How is your singing?"

"Uh, it's average."

"And dancing?"

Chen Nuo realized something was wrong at this point, puffed out his chest, and said, "I can learn."

Li Er took off his glasses and sat behind the desk, lost in thought as he wiped the lenses. After a while, he put them back on and said, "Chen Nuo, I’ve decided to offer you an opportunity, but whether you can grasp it depends on yourself."

Chen Nuo had a vague premonition and said, "Teacher Li, tell me, what kind of opportunity? I will certainly not let you down."

Li Er nodded and said, "I hope so. Hmm, you should know Director Chen Kexin from Hong Kong, right?"

"I know him."

"Then what movies has he directed?"

Chen Nuo hesitated. Aside from *Comrades: Almost a Love Story*, the ones in his memory didn't seem to have been filmed yet. "Comrades: Almost a Love Story, and also..." *The Warlords*.

Li Er didn't seem to have high requirements for him, nodding, "Knowing *Comrades: Almost a Love Story* is enough. He is currently preparing a new film. The leads are all A-list superstars from Hong Kong and the mainland, and now only the third male lead hasn't been cast. He’s seen many people and hasn't been satisfied. I want you to go and try out. But you must practice singing, and dancing... forget it, just stretch your ligaments and go for some runs."

"Understood, Teacher Li."

Li Er looked at Chen Nuo with the expression one might use for an alien. "And then?"

Chen Nuo asked in confusion, "And then what?"

"Besides saying 'understood,' aren't you going to say a few more words?"

"...Thank you, Teacher Li, I will work hard?"

Li Er stared at Chen Nuo for a long, long time, then said, "Looking at you, I thought I’d just asked you to go buy groceries with me tomorrow... Forget it, get out."

Fine, if he says get out, then get out.

When he returned to the classroom, Chen Nuo discovered that it wasn't just Ma Yanran anymore; many people were looking at him with green eyes, as if staring at a delicious feast.

Shit, better run fast after school.

After returning to his place in the evening, Chen Nuo rummaged through the drawer of the TV cabinet. Sure enough, he hadn't remembered wrong; there was a disc of Jacky Cheung’s, containing all his signature songs. He turned on the stereo system, plugged in the microphone, and started singing.

"Love is like a hungry wolf, the mouth is extremely sweet..." Just as he was belting it out, he didn't notice the door behind him open. Yang Mi stood at the doorway, holding a bag, looking stunned.

A few minutes later, the two of them were arm-in-arm, belting out songs together.

Two days later, Li Er called him to the office again and asked if Chen Nuo had a suit, preferably formal wear.

"They are in quite a hurry now, rushing to start filming. If they are satisfied with your image, it is very likely they will have you do a screen test in costume when you go over. You’d better be mentally prepared."

Chen Nuo didn't need preparation in his heart, but his wardrobe certainly did. The suitcase he brought to Jingcheng to take the film academy entrance exams didn't contain any suits or formal wear.

"Don't go to class this afternoon; go buy a high-quality set. Do you have money?" Li Er stared at him and asked.

Chen Nuo nodded, "I have money."

"Then go quickly. It’s best to find a friend of the opposite sex with good taste to go with you. Look at what you're wearing; are you going to direct traffic?"

Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing? Before leaving school, Chen Nuo went to the restroom to check the mirror: green jacket, yellow sweater, blue jeans, and a pair of red AJ sneakers.

But he still took out his phone and made a call: "Um, is that Yang Mi? Do you have any plans this afternoon?"

Yang Mi was attending a training institution outside of school. Over the past few days, Yang Mi and Chen Nuo would occasionally chat about exams and acting, so they had become much more familiar and had exchanged numbers. He remembered Yang Mi saying that her class this afternoon had been pushed to Saturday because the teacher who taught them body movement had something to attend to.

Sure enough, when Yang Mi heard on the phone that Chen Nuo wanted to buy a suit and wanted her to accompany him to give her opinion, she readily agreed, saying she would see him downstairs in an hour.

An hour? Chen Nuo was a bit surprised. So short?

In his experience, the prettier the woman, the longer it takes for her to go out. He had even seen a woman who started getting ready and putting on makeup at 8:00 AM just because she was going out to see a movie at 5:00 PM.

He checked his watch; it was already past 12:00, so he found a place to grab a bite and arrived at the entrance of Xinxin Garden at 1:00 sharp.

Then he waited and waited, for five minutes. If it were some pure-hearted boy, he might have kept waiting.

But that wasn't possible for Chen Nuo.

He knew the creature known as a woman too well. He didn't even call, because it was useless; her telling you to wait five minutes on the phone meant nothing. Because at this moment, five minutes in any woman's mouth is an imaginary number.

He went straight upstairs. After opening the door, he found Yang Mi lying on the living room sofa, watching TV with her legs crossed, a facial mask on her face.

"Eh? Why are you back?" Yang Mi propped herself up. "Didn't we agree to meet at the entrance of the residential complex?"

"Oh, I came back to use the restroom. By the way, what time is it now? Should we be heading out?"

Yang Mi said, "Let me see... oh, it's already 1:00?"

At 1:30, they finally left.

Yang Mi was wearing a white casual tracksuit with a high ponytail. Her bare face was pink and rosy, with small features, round eyes, and curved eyebrows, just like a little apple freshly picked from a tree.

Though her outfit was plain, her youth was invincible.

"A new mall opened nearby two months ago. It's super big inside, bigger than Xidan. Not only do they sell clothes, but they have everything to eat and drink." Yang Mi walked in the lead, then suddenly turned back and asked, "Have you eaten?"

Chen Nuo, of course, couldn't say he had already eaten a bowl of soybean paste noodles while she was putting on her mask, so he shook his head and said, "No. You accompany me to pick out clothes, and I'll treat you to a meal."

Yang Mi nodded with satisfaction, "Sensible." She waved her hand forward, "Let's go!"

(End of chapter)