Chapter 498: I Live With Him

"This role was hard-won; you must cherish it."

In the driver's seat, Lü Yilan looked at her daughter Ruan Lin in the passenger seat and said seriously, "Tonight the director is treating everyone to dinner; nearly everyone present will be key personnel from this production."

"I don't ask much of you—just eat quietly, listen more than you speak, behave well, and don't bring your lazy home attitude here."

"Keep your phone on, I'll be waiting at the café next door; if anything happens, call me right away, understood?"

"Got it~" Ruan Lin leaned against the car window, propping her chin with her right hand, gazing out at the street scene, "I won't say anything stupid—I'm not really that clueless."

"Good. This production has quite a few people your age; pay attention to getting along. There are two boys here—you've worked with them before, both are familiar faces."

"And there's Li Luo—the original novel's author, the one who writes under the pen name Chongran—he's also your age."

"If you can, spend some time with him. Don't let his youth fool you—he's invested a lot of money in this project and holds serious weight in the crew."

Lü Yilan said a lot, but she wasn't sure if her daughter had actually listened.

When the car reached the restaurant entrance, she found a parking spot, stopped, and got out with Ruan Lin.

It was already past seven in the evening.

Lü Yilan escorted Ruan Lin into the restaurant, found the private room, greeted the assistant director Chu Jiyong, then left Ruan Lin inside and went to wait at the nearby café.

Director Wang Jun had organized this dinner for about twenty people, reserving a large private room for twenty, hoping to let everyone get acquainted before filming began.

When Ruan Lin entered the private room, not many people were there yet.

Several young actors had already arrived; Ruan Lin saw Fan Jingchen, who played the lead role "Fang Yifan," and Hu Feiyu, who played the cousin "Lin Leier," and walked over to the sofa to greet them.

They had worked together on other productions before, so meeting now felt nothing like a first encounter.

"Take a rest for now," said assistant director Chu Jiyong. "The auditions just ended; Director Wang and the others will be here any minute."

As he spoke, the private room door opened again.

Several middle-aged actors who played the parents in the drama entered.

After a round of mutual introductions, Wang Jun arrived with Li Luo and the others.

"Sorry, sorry—the auditions ran a bit late," Wang Jun said as he entered, greeting everyone on the sofa.

Following her mother's instructions, Ruan Lin merely offered polite greetings and stood quietly to the side.

When Wang Jun invited everyone to sit, she glanced at Fan Jingchen and Hu Feiyu, then looked over at Li Luo.

After thinking it over, she quietly moved closer to Li Luo and sat in the seat beside him.

But at that moment, Li Luo had just pulled out his chair and hadn't sat down yet.

Yan Zhusheng, noticing Ruan Lin sitting next to Li Luo, immediately grabbed Li Luo and plopped herself into the chair he had just pulled out.

Li Luo froze for a moment, then glanced at Ruan Lin beside him, then down at Yan Zhusheng, and couldn't help but smile.

He then sat down in the seat next to Yan Zhusheng.

When Ruan Lin saw Yan Zhusheng appear, she was momentarily stunned—but then she remembered this girl.

Wasn't this one of the three girls from last time?

According to Chu Jiyong, this girl wasn't an actress—so why was she here at this dinner?

Ruan Lin's question was soon voiced by someone else.

One of the older, more experienced actors took on the role of bridge for introductions, making sure everyone knew each other.

When it came to Yan Zhusheng, he asked curiously, "Miss, which role are you playing in this drama?"

"She's not an actress," Wang Jun chuckled. "She's a friend of Master Chongran's; she'll be singing some of the drama's original soundtrack, and since she happened to be free tonight, we invited her along for dinner."

"Ohhh, I see."

The others nodded in understanding.

But Ruan Lin looked puzzled.

If this girl is handling the drama's songs, then who were the other two girls last time?

Ruan Lin's gaze passed over Yan Zhusheng and landed curiously on Li Luo's face—it still felt strange.

Though they were all the same age, at this dinner table, she and Fan Jingchen and the others were clearly juniors.

But Li Luo was different.

He didn't seem to match his age at all.

"Do you have any low-alcohol cocktails here? Like Rui'ao?" Li Luo asked the waiter as he brought in a case of beer.

He then turned to Wang Jun and smiled. "We've got minors here—let the adults drink beer; we'll stick to fruit wine."

Wang Jun laughed and told the waiter to bring the drinks, then teased, "No wonder you wrote that scene of kids drinking and causing chaos in a hotel—your home discipline must be strict, Master Chongran."

"Speaking of that," the actress playing the lead's mother laughed, "I really liked that scene—it sounds like it'll be fun."

Once the topic turned to the plot, conversation flowed.

Li Luo was pleased to find that his earlier requests had indeed been passed down, and these actors had genuinely read the material.

When discussing the plot, everyone offered thoughtful comments, giving Li Luo renewed confidence in the drama's production.

After the meal ended, Li Luo bid farewell to Wang Jun and the others, preparing to take a taxi with Yan Zhusheng.

But Lü Yilan, having picked up Ruan Lin, spotted Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng trying to hail a cab on the street, thought for a moment, pulled over beside them, and asked: "Master Chongran, where are you heading?"

"We're trying to get a taxi."

"I remember Master Chongran lives in Yinjiang District, right?"

"Yes."

"Good—we're heading that way too; we can give you a ride," Lü Yilan said, immediately getting out of the driver's seat, opening the car door warmly, and inviting Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng in.

Since they'd gone to such lengths, Li Luo couldn't refuse—he accepted graciously.

In the passenger seat, Ruan Lin gave her mother a strange look—why would their family, who lived right in the city, suddenly need to go all the way to Yinjiang District?

Still, after seeing Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng get in, she politely greeted them.

"Master Chongran, who is this person beside you?" Lü Yilan asked curiously as she started driving again.

"Yan Zhusheng," Li Luo introduced. "He's my friend, responsible for singing the original soundtrack of this TV drama."

"Oh oh," Lyu Yilan nodded, unconcerned by his youth, and smiled directly. "Teacher Yan, where do you live? I can drop you off on my way."

"I live with him," Yan Zhusheng raised a hand, pointing at Li Luo, his expression utterly blank.

Lyu Yilan: "?"

Ruan Lin: "?"

Li Luo: "…"

"We're classmates," Li Luo cleared his throat and explained. "My family owns a house near the school that's rented out. She's my tenant."

"Oh oh, I see," Lyu Yilan suddenly understood, but her expression toward Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng remained odd.

Ruan Lin was also curious, glancing at the two behind her through the rearview mirror.

After dinner and now with this new information, Ruan Lin's gaze settled on Yan Zhusheng's face—by a woman's instinct, she had already realized.

This girl named Yan Zhusheng was definitely in love with Li Luo.

Saying "I live with him" just now—was that a claim of ownership?

Thinking of this, Ruan Lin couldn't help but laugh, touching her own cheek, wondering if she'd made the girl feel threatened.

She hadn't had many thoughts about it before.

Ruan Lin's gaze fell again on Li Luo's face, lost in thought.

…

After spending over half an hour, they dropped Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng off at the entrance of Bihai Lanting.

Lyu Yilan warmly bid them farewell; Ruan Lin also politely said goodbye.

On the way home, Lyu Yilan asked Ruan Lin: "How was dinner tonight?"

"Just okay. I didn't say much," Ruan Lin replied.

"Better than saying the wrong thing," Lyu Yilan nodded. "Li Luo seems like a decent guy. You should get to know him better on set."

"Someone who's sold the film and TV rights to a novel has a high chance of selling more successful adaptations later."

"And he's still young—his future growth and potential can't be matched by others."

"If you can build a good relationship with him, when he launches other dramas in the future, your audition success rate will be higher than others'. If you're close enough, he might even directly cast you."

"That's guanxi—you understand? Just like when I asked Director Chu to take us along just to get our faces known—it's all guanxi."

"I know, I know," Ruan Lin smiled and joked with her mom. "What if I date him? Wouldn't that make the relationship even better?"

"You can joke, but don't actually do it," Lyu Yilan frowned, seriously warning. "Romantic relationships are the most unreliable."

"I said he has potential and you should cultivate guanxi—I didn't say to tie yourself to him permanently."

"You're grown now. I won't speak vaguely. You can do anything else you want—but dating is absolutely forbidden."

"Oh…" Ruan Lin pouted, giving a half-hearted reply, muttering under her breath, "It's just because you got dumped by Dad."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

…

"Li Luo."

Riding the elevator to the 15th floor, just as Li Luo was about to pull out his key to open the door, Yan Zhusheng grabbed his sleeve.

"What's wrong?"

"Hug me." Yan Zhusheng turned him around and threw herself into his arms, greedily inhaling his scent.

Having finally gotten some private time, Yan Zhusheng clearly didn't want to get home too soon.

"Why not think first about how to explain why you came home so late with me?" Li Luo held her close and laughed.

"Didn't Chanxi call earlier this evening?" Yan Zhusheng rubbed against his chest. "I'm the singer of the theme song for 'Little Joy.' It's perfectly reasonable for me to go along to the audition."

"Reasonable… my ass." Li Luo pinched her cheek. "The songs I wrote this time are pretty average—just don't complain later."

"I don't complain about anything you write," Yan Zhusheng hugged him tightly. "But…"

"But what?"

"Once the production starts, will you go to the set every day?" Yan Zhusheng lifted her face in his arms, asking seriously.

"Not every day," Li Luo thought for a moment, then said. "But for key scenes, I need to pay attention, so I'll definitely be there when those are filmed."

"Then can you not talk much to that girl?" Yan Zhusheng blinked, blunt and direct.

"Huh? Which one?"

"The one who wanted to sit next to you at dinner today?"

"…Probably just coincidence," Li Luo sighed with a smile.

"Her mom even drove you home."

"Just trying to get close."

"Anyway, I don't like it," Yan Zhusheng pressed her lips together, tiptoeing, her cheek pressing close enough to touch his.

Li Luo could clearly feel her breath on his face, tickling.

Seeing her adorable, slightly jealous expression, Li Luo smiled, tightened his arms around her waist, and kissed her thin lips gently: "Don't worry—I'm not interested in her."

"And what about me?" Yan Zhusheng couldn't help but kiss him back, then asked hopefully.

"About you…" Li Luo rolled his eyes, then spun her around, pinning her against the doorframe, whispering with a smile: "For Teacher Yan, I have a strong interest in learning and improvement. Is that okay?"

"Then… should we learn right here?" Yan Zhusheng blushed, unusually shy, but her eyes never left his, unwilling to break their gaze.

…

"Why are you back so late?" In the living room, Ying Chanxi spotted them entering, immediately crossed her arms, and questioned suspiciously. "Didn't you say dinner ended at 8:30? It's only thirty to forty minutes from downtown. It's already 9:30."

"Cough… there was traffic," Li Luo lowered his head to change shoes, avoiding Ying Chanxi's gaze so she wouldn't notice his guilt.

Yan Zhusheng happily licked his lips, as if still savoring the taste.

After changing into slippers, Yan Zhusheng changed the subject and asked Ying Chanxi, "Xixi."

"Mm?"

"Has the music video for 'The Sun' been edited yet?"

"Umm…" At this question, Ying Chanxi stammered, "The… footage is messy; I still need to sort it out. Take it slow—good work takes time."

Every time she opened the footage, it showed intimate moments between Li Luo and Yan Zhusheng; editing this pile was pure torment for her.

Each time, she couldn't help but bang the table and punch the Pikachu beside her, her efficiency naturally lagging behind the sweet motivation she once had editing her own MVs with Li Luo.

Yan Zhusheng wasn't in a hurry. While Li Luo was in the bathroom, he quietly leaned beside Ying Chanxi and said seriously:

"At lunch today, that beautiful girl we met before—the actress who got the role of Qiao Yingzi—tried to sit next to Li Luo again."

"What?" Ying Chanxi's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously, "And then?"

"So I took Li Luo's seat and stopped her from succeeding." Yan Zhusheng puffed out his chest proudly.

Hearing this outcome, Ying Chanxi exhaled in relief and genuinely thought Yan Zhusheng had done an excellent job.

"Zhusheng, I'm glad you came along today."

"Mm, it's what I should do."

Li Luo stepped out of the bathroom and heard Ying Chanxi say this, freezing in surprise as he gave Yan Zhusheng a strange look.

What did she just say?

She's not pressing further—instead, she's thanking you?