CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 76 NO PHOTOGRAPHY OR VISITING ALLOWED

An Yan struggled to suppress a smile. He’s getting anxious! He definitely finds me annoying! Is he thinking of breaking up with me right now?

"The phone is in your hands; you can do whatever you want with it. You don’t need to ask me!"

An Yan’s face fell. "You said you only had one phone. If that were really the case, wouldn’t you be worried about me messing things up?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than there was a knock on the partition. Li Tianyao lowered it. "What’s the matter?"

In the passenger seat, Lu Feng turned and handed over a phone. "Boss, it’s a call from President Zhang of Hua’an!"

Li Tianyao took the phone from Lu Feng and brought it to his ear.

A few minutes later, Li Tianyao ended the call. The phone was passed back to Lu Feng.

Only then did An Yan realize that Li Tianyao didn’t just have one phone; his other phones were all with Lu Feng. No wonder he wasn’t worried about her using his phone and causing a delay.

For the rest of the journey, An Yan kept swiping through short videos on Li Tianyao’s phone. She couldn’t tell if the vloggers were incredibly talented or if the netizens were just terminally bored, but any random lip-syncing video could attract hundreds of thousands of followers. Below, hordes of netizens would chase after them, calling out, "Brother! Brother!"

As she watched, An Yan’s eyes lit up. I wonder, those people confessing their love to internet celebrities, aren’t they betraying their own partners? If each of them got a slap, would my Yezi all emerge from this dense fog? Unfortunately, I can’t reach through the internet to slap anyone! The light in her eyes slowly dimmed.

At half-past ten, the car arrived at the village entrance. Someone approached and directed them to park in a designated area. To enter the village, they had to rent electric carts from the village. One cart could seat four people.

An Yan and Li Tianyao took one. An Yaoluo, Lu Feng, and Wen Ya took another.

The scenery in the village was pleasant: the mountains were majestic, the waters clear, and the buildings mostly featured stone walls and blue-tiled roofs, with an occasional thatched cottage. The entire village was built along the mountainside, its layout charmingly irregular.

The village wasn’t particularly large, but the roads were winding and complex. After about half an hour of navigating these roads, they finally arrived at the film set where An Duxuan was working.

A crew member came running over from a distance. "Who are you? Photography is not allowed here, and neither are visitors!"

An Yaoluo was about to step forward to explain when he saw Lu Feng pull out a wad of cash and thrust it into the crew member’s hands. "Is it allowed now?"

The crew member was just a worker, after all. Besides, this production was only average in scale. They’d be thrilled to have more people visit, take more photos, and generate buzz for the show before it even aired.

"Allowed, allowed! This way, please. I’ll take you to the best spot."

An Yan had assumed the so-called "best spot" would just be a little closer to the action. Unexpectedly, the crew member led them right next to the director’s setup! They were even served melon seeds, fruit, and snacks.

"Which lead actor are you here for? After the scene is over, I can help you arrange a meeting with them."

An Yan scanned the scene before her. Although she hadn’t seen her second brother in many years, she had seen pictures of him. After scanning everyone present, she finally spotted her second brother, dressed as a disciple of an immortal sect, standing behind the male lead. Dressed in white robes, he had an ethereal aura, but unfortunately, he was standing among a crowd of people in identical attire. Without a careful look, he was impossible to recognize.

An Yaoluo also saw An Duxuan, and his expression immediately soured. He had always assumed An Duxuan was doing decently in the crew; after all, the kid had chosen acting over returning home. But what was this? He couldn’t even land a numbered supporting role, just a nameless extra?

The staff member was very enthusiastic. "Ladies and gentlemen, rest assured, whether it’s the male lead, the second male lead, the female lead, or the second female lead, I can invite them all. Would you like an autograph or a group photo?"

An Yan made a quick calculation and pointed. "That one. After he’s done filming, have him come see us."

Her finger landed right on the drama’s male lead: the biggest star in the cast, Fu Xiao. His acting was average, but he excelled at generating hype and managing his image. With a massive fan base, he was a figure who brought his own audience to the production! The reason An Yan pointed him out was because she had foreseen the events that would unfold between him and An Duxuan.

The staff member glanced at An Yan’s face, then at Li Tianyao—silent but impressively imposing—and finally at An Yaoluo, who exuded a strong, elite aura. An Yan must be Li Tianyao’s girlfriend, and An Yaoluo is probably his assistant or something. This wealthy businessman, Li Tianyao, must have come to see Fu Xiao perform specifically for his girlfriend.

The staff member’s face lit up with joy. He hurried off to tell Fu Xiao the news. "Mr. Fu, keep up the great work!"

Fu Xiao glanced towards An Yan with a hint of arrogance. The young woman wore a long blue trench coat over a white wide-legged pantsuit—designer brands from head to toe. As for the two men beside her, one was cold and aloof, exuding an air of nobility, while the other was reserved and refined, yet impeccably polished. And their attire? To call it merely "designer" would be an understatement. It was clearly custom-made. Fu Xiao himself had once considered ordering a custom ensemble, but the exorbitant price had forced him to abandon the idea. Fu Xiao wouldn’t dare treat such individuals as ordinary fans. Ordinary fans who show up on set might not even get a glance from a celebrity. But if wealthy fans truly wanted to meet a star, what celebrity would dare refuse them after a single phone call?

These must be investors the Lei Family brought in for that girl, Lei Na, right?

Lei Na was the female lead of this drama. A privileged young lady with a strong desire for the spotlight, she had been drawn to the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, wanting to try her hand at it. Consequently, the Lei Family had invested in this drama for her. However, this type of fantasy drama was a real money pit. Their initial ten million investment had barely lasted a few days of filming before funds started running dangerously low. Just yesterday, Lei Na had called Lei Tao in his presence. Lei Tao had said he would send someone to the set to assess if it was truly worth further investment, promising to inject more funds if it was.

Fu Xiao believed this to be the case, and Lei Na shared his assumption.

Taking advantage of a break before filming resumed, she sent Fu Xiao a message, "Perform well. Good luck."

Fu Xiao smiled faintly. Of course, he would perform well. If this drama becomes a hit, the C.P. between Lei Na and me will be heavily promoted. Maybe I can use this as a springboard to become an influential son-in-law of the Lei Family!

As he was scheming, his phone vibrated again. It was another message from Lei Na, reminding him, "If you mess this up, I’ll make An Duxuan the male lead!"

Fu Xiao’s expression immediately darkened.

An Duxuan! A penniless brat with no background or connections, who only caught Lei Na’s eye because of his pretty face. Unfortunately, the guy was a complete blockhead. Lei Na practically threw herself at him, and he actually turned her down! It was laughable! Lei Na is the precious princess of the Lei Family. If he’d latched onto her, he would have been set for life!

But An Duxuan’s rejection had created an opening for him. He had merely displayed a bit of his own charm and successfully won over Lei Na, securing his position as the male lead. In his heart, however, he had grown to despise An Duxuan. The role originally intended as the third male lead had, thanks to his machinations, been reduced to that of an extra—a background prop from start to finish, with only a single line in the entire drama!

Soon, it was Fu Xiao’s turn to film.