Chapter 55: The White Lotus's Extreme Tug-of-War

"Xixi, hurry up and take a shower and go to bed; you have to get up early tomorrow for your morning practice."

Ever since Lu Kuan officially invested in Red Star Dock, the one-hour morning practice at 6:30 sharp every day had become a part of her life.

It started with Grotowski’s collective breathing, followed by categorized physical training, expression training, combination training, vocal techniques, and so on.

Following his own plan, Lu Kuan began working on improving her basic skills before she officially enrolled, intending to slowly refine her acting and comprehension abilities.

In all fairness, she did not have much talent as an actress, but her exceptional physical appearance and unyielding sense of purpose were also important factors for an actor to achieve success.

"Mom, I want to sleep with Changchang tonight," Liu Yifei said, hugging her mother's arm and acting spoiled.

The unpleasantness at the dinner table had long been forgotten; having been overly protected since childhood, the girl was still in a carefree state of mind.

"Alright, go ahead. Do you need me to wake you up tomorrow?"

Liu Xiaoli was used to the two children being close.

"No need, I'll set an alarm on my phone. I'm going!"

Su Chang’s room was next to Lu Kuan’s; because they were the last two to join the production, they were both assigned to the east side of the fourth floor, which were the only two rooms left on that level.

"Xixi, you were so funny at the dinner table earlier, you had that skinny monkey completely bewildered."

Su Chang still remembered her best friend’s crosstalk-like verbal output, using sheer force to overcome ten skills, driving away that fly from Xiangjiang.

"These people are too arrogant. They are all actors in Lu Kuan’s crew, but they don't seem to listen to him at all."

Su Chang started gossiping with her little friend again: "Hey, do you think we could go audition for Lu Kuan’s movie?"

Liu Yifei pouted: "You go ahead, I definitely don't stand a chance; he scolds me every single morning."

Lu Kuan was usually happy-go-lucky and liked to joke around and tease her, but he was never one to smile when it came to actual filming and training.

He was a bit like a master of the arts from ancient times—stiff and strict. Sometimes when he scolded her too harshly, Liu Xiaoli would feel heartbroken but only dare to stand by and watch.

As someone who started as a dancer, she knew best that this was the time to truly learn skills and build a foundation; her coddling would only harm her daughter.

"Oh, don't be discouraged. No one is born knowing how to act. So what if he’s Lu Kuan? He..."

The two sisters looked at each other, feeling a bit deflated; they shouldn't have used Lu Kuan as an example.

Because his acting was truly too good—even Chen Kun, who had his eyes set on the top of his head, was convinced, and Li Dawei sometimes even let him direct the actors.

The key was that he was only 20 years old, and he could both act and direct.

Aside from being a flirt and a womanizer, it seemed there were no other flaws to pick out...

Just as the two were feeling depressed, a "thump, thump, thump!" sound reached their ears.

Liu Yifei sat up in bed with a start.

"You scared me! It's from next door, don't worry about it."

"Shh!" Liu Yifei tiptoed to the door; she knew Lu Kuan lived next door.

It was Dong Jie’s voice!

The two sisters looked at each other, both seeing the raging fire of gossip in the other’s eyes.

What was it like...

It was like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old high school student in the later generations, feeling particularly interested in the boy in class who studied the best, looked the most handsome, and had a wicked smile.

Who did he talk to today?

Which subject did he get first place in again?

In this day and age, entertainment tools were relatively scarce; Liu Yifei was basically a computer illiterate, she didn't watch many TV dramas, and there was nothing fun on her phone either.

Today, the two sisters finally had some entertainment to watch!

A quiet, ambiguous atmosphere permeated the room; the soft light spilled onto the front of the bed, and the man and woman sat on opposite sides of the small table.

Looking at the clinging white lotus, Boss Lu felt a bit helpless.

Lu Kuan looked at Dong Jie’s lowered head and couldn't help but think of that night in Wuxi and his conversation with Jiang Qinqin by the window.

Jiang Qinqin was four or five years older than him and had a sisterly affection for him.

After developing secret feelings for him, she habitually intervened in his life and work.

For example, telling him to save money or not to invest in Li Yang’s underground films, and so on.

Even though their relationship had broken down, regardless of the previous affair with Sister Jiang, she had never owed Lu Kuan anything, so even the thick-skinned Boss Lu couldn't bear to hurt her.

After a fleeting romance, everyone just went their separate ways.

The white lotus was different from Sister Jiang; her motives and goals were very clear, and her reputation and "biological habits" in the later generations were quite base.

One must not touch a poisonous woman!

The poisonous woman in Boss Lu’s eyes was currently pondering the pros and cons of the matter.

This was an excellent opportunity to connect with the little heavenly king of Xiangjiang and the Hong Kong circle!

The first takeoff of her career began with playing the bride of Xie Tingfeng on the Spring Festival Gala; that year, Xie Tingfeng had a status similar to the popular young idols of the later generations.

It was just that she wasn't sure yet if this movie was worth her sacrificing herself to the tiger today.

Lu Kuan saw her struggle and wanted to see the current level of the poisonous woman’s craft: "Have you always wanted to go to the Hong Kong circle?"

She suddenly raised her head, suddenly remembering how Chen Kun had jokingly introduced this young actor and director to her:

He was the designated Daoist Priest for Zhang Jizhong’s crew, had told fortunes for many people in the entertainment industry, and pointed out the way; they said he was quite accurate.

At that time, the member of the Yue Province Military Region Combat Song and Dance Troupe, who had previously scoffed at talk of gods and ghosts, had shock written all over her face at this moment.

That’s right! The rumors were all over the place; he knew the big sister of Xiangjiang, Mei Yanfang!

Whether it was helping her sign with a film and television company in Xiangjiang or working in music, the latter was a pillar of the Xiangjiang entertainment industry.

Dong Jie suddenly realized, what am I doing!

If it were just to sacrifice one night for a decent film contract, that would be one thing, but why should she make a one-time deal with such a high-quality man?

After Jiang Qinqin, who longed for love but couldn't have it, this succubus of the entertainment industry who had just entered the business was being targeted by a gold-digger...

At this moment, Dong Jie looked at the clear and handsome Boss Lu as if looking at the meat of Tang Monk.

He was a year younger than her, had superb acting skills, outstanding musical talent, deep connections in the Hong Kong circle, and rich film and television resources.

Who would believe that someone who could easily put together a crew with a budget of ten million was just a little Daoist priest who had come down from the mountain, as the rumors said!

She knew how to release her sexual charm; she gently tucked her hair behind her ear, and her elegant dress made her look ethereal.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't come here to make any deals with you."

She pouted, looking aggrieved, and twisted her hands in front of her naturally: "I just saw that you weren't happy at the table today and wanted to come and comfort you."

Lu Kuan sneered inwardly; watching her affectation gave him the pleasure of playing a single-player game while looking at a walkthrough.

It’s all muddy Yellow River water, why are you pretending to be Nongfu Spring and claiming to be a little sweet!

(End of chapter)