“I thought you were going to say that with a company’s strength like ours, there’s no need to sacrifice employees’ looks to please anyone,” Lu Guifan said slowly, peeling a pistachio for Jiang Ruotang.

Jiang Ruotang turned his head when he heard this. “Oh, right!”

Lu Guifan smiled and popped a pistachio into his mouth.

This one sentence completely won over Ling Song.

“Okay, if the specific terms are suitable, I’m willing.”

Ling Song’s expression also became firm. Instead of worrying about gains and losses, it was better to burn his bridges.

Even if the entertainment industry was chaotic, there must be a small sanctuary somewhere.

“Then the specific terms will wait until tomorrow when CEO Chen comes to talk to you personally,” Jiang Ruotang said with a smile, putting all the peeled pistachios into his mouth, looking very satisfied.

Ling Song, however, was confused: “CEO Chen? Which CEO Chen?”

“Chen Qian.”

Ling Song blinked: “Chicheng Entertainment… Miss Chen, the eldest daughter of the Chen family, is coming to talk to me personally?”

“Mhm.” Jiang Ruotang patted his shoulder. “It means she values you. When I talked to her about you before, it sounded like she intends to personally manage you.”

After chatting about more details with Ling Song, it was almost lunchtime for the crew, so Jiang Ruotang pulled Lu Guifan away.

Yesterday, because there were many people and the weather was hot, Jiang Ruotang didn’t have much fun. Now, he was checking in at various scenic spots, while Lu Guifan was responsible for carrying the backpack, holding the sun umbrella, and taking photos for Jiang Ruotang.

Jiang Ruotang played the emperor for several rounds, gleefully promoting Lu Guifan to various high-ranking positions: chief grand secretary, regent, prime minister, and even chief eunuch of the imperial household.

Lu Guifan laughed and said, “The first few are pretty good; they hold power over the court and can even put some pressure on the emperor and restrain his behavior. As for the last one, I’m afraid you won’t be happy later.”

Jiang Ruotang waved his hand grandly: “It’s fine, Zhen (I, the emperor) has no one in my harem. Chief Eunuch Lu, just keep your little boat ready to serve Zhen.”

Lu Guifan couldn’t resist and pinched Jiang Ruotang’s cheek.

“Don’t pinch… don’t pinch randomly. What if my face gets uneven?”

---

As soon as the two left the film and television base, Cheng Man, the female lead of “Drunken Immortal Platform,” began to consider whether to post photos of Ling Song “bullying” her on set. After all, in her opinion, her real mission as the female lead of this drama was to be sent by CEO Han to make Ling Song uncomfortable.

Unexpectedly, a big shot visited the set – Chen Qian, the daughter of the chairman of Chicheng Entertainment.

This puzzled Cheng Man. Chicheng Entertainment didn’t seem to have invested in this drama?

However, Chen Qian arrived, dressed in high-end couture from a certain brand and wearing cool sunglasses, exuding a powerful aura. She also brought many items that the crew needed but hadn’t had time to purchase.

Jiang Huaiyuan did not stop filming to entertain her; the entire crew operated as usual.

Just when Cheng Man thought Jiang Huaiyuan was being unsociable and showed no respect to Miss Chen, Zhao Yunshu actually came over personally and chatted very congenially with Chen Qian. Chen Qian’s hearty laughter could be heard from time to time.

This also made everyone wonder what Chen Qian was here for. Could it be that Chicheng Entertainment wanted to increase its investment in “Drunken Immortal Platform”?

Chicheng Entertainment’s publicity capabilities were incredibly strong. If they invested, the overwhelming publicity would surely elevate the drama’s industry evaluation by several levels.

If that were the case, Cheng Man hesitated. She had originally thought that since she had received her pay, she didn’t care about the final outcome of the film.

But now, it seemed she might become an overnight sensation and elevate her status. Should she really try to sabotage Ling Song? What if it annoyed the audience and led to low ratings, which would also be bad for her?

During a break in filming, Zhao Yunshu called Ling Song over to greet Chen Qian. The two didn’t say much, but Chen Qian simply turned her face, and an assistant and an exclusive makeup artist appeared beside Ling Song. The assistant arranged Ling Song’s affairs methodically and professionally, while the makeup artist immediately followed the crew’s makeup artist to learn the makeup style and quickly got the hang of it.

The key was that this makeup artist was highly skilled. Just five minutes of touch-up made Ling Song’s eyebrows and eyes more prominent on screen, making him look incredibly handsome. The assistant director even said he wanted to reshoot close-up shots of Ling Song.

Cheng Man and her agent were stunned by this operation.

“What’s going on? Miss Chen… is she specifically here to bring warmth to Ling Song?”

Unable to figure out the situation, Cheng Man and her team no longer dared to target Ling Song.

---

It wasn’t until Jiang Ruotang and Lu Guifan had both returned to Sheng City and had been taking driving lessons together for a week that a new piece of news suddenly emerged in the entertainment industry: Qi family of Hongtian Borui, along with several other entertainment industry moguls, established a new company called Juxing Media.

Just by looking at the publicly disclosed shareholders, it was clear that this company would have abundant resources. Everyone eagerly awaited, thinking that Juxing Media would poach some big-name artists or top stars. Unexpectedly, the first person they signed was an unknown 18th-tier extra—Ling Song.

Everyone was curious: what kind of ability did Ling Song possess?

After signing Ling Song, Chen Qian promoted him relentlessly. She edited together all his previous extra and minor roles, whether he was a sinister villain, a cannon fodder male supporting character, or a soldier with only one line before getting “boxed lunch” (dying in the show).

Then, the vast number of netizens suddenly discovered, “Hey, this actor has played everything? And he plays everything convincingly! Even if he’s just briefly glimpsed by the camera, his emotions are on point, and his acting and strength are evident in the details.”

Not to mention the close-up shots; no matter how plain or simple his makeup, Ling Song’s facial features were too outstanding, sparking heated discussions among netizens. Everyone’s “distant beautiful memories of Ling Song were revived.”

[I remember Ling Song! He played the female lead’s older brother in a campus drama and was quite popular for a while! He was especially handsome, with a clean and gentle smile!]

[He was my dream older brother in junior high!]

[This guy played an eunuch of a fallen kingdom’s monarch. At the time, I told my wife that he acted incredibly well and had a promising future, but who knew he disappeared for several years after that!]

[Wow, he can play any kind of role, and he’s so serious even as an extra!]

[A pearl in the ocean, unexpectedly discovered by Juxing. Suddenly, my favorability for this company doubled!]

At this time, “Drunken Immortal Platform” had not yet finished filming. Chen Qian was clearly promoting Ling Song, but she also brought a wave of attention to “Drunken Immortal Platform.”

And Cheng Man, as the female lead, was once again extremely grateful that her negative press release about Ling Song had not been sent out. Otherwise, she would now not only be ridiculed by the public but also dealt with by Chen Qian, and would have no hope of collaborating with talent agencies like Juxing in the future.

After that, she even took acting more seriously. Even other crew members noticed that the efficiency of the male and female leads’ scenes improved, with more and more takes passing in one or two tries, which also sped up the filming progress.

Jiang Huaiyuan stood with his arms crossed and said, “Indeed, with strict requirements and guidance, Cheng Man’s acting skills can also improve rapidly.”

Zhao Yunshu, who came to visit Jiang Huaiyuan on set, heard this and rubbed the corner of his eye hard. “Isn’t it because she knows the drama’s popularity is due to Ling Song, and she doesn’t want to lose the chance to become popular?”

---

While some rejoiced, others were naturally seething with anger.

Han Ming’s face had been as dark as a thundercloud since he saw the news of Ling Song’s signing.

Even when his secretary came in to deliver coffee, the slight clinking sound between the saucer and cup made Han Ming’s gaze cause the secretary’s legs to go weak.

After the secretary left, Han Ming couldn’t hold back and called his ally, Qin Zhanchao.

“What’s going on with Juxing? The entire entertainment industry knows that whoever signs Ling Song is going against Cefeng Entertainment, but they chose to sign Ling Song first? Is this intentionally trying to slap me in the face? Is this the Qi family’s or the Chen family’s decision?”

Qin Zhanchao on the other end of the phone said, “Actually, I’m not familiar with Qi Yanfeng or Chen Qian, but my old man has always advocated for getting along well with them and not being enemies. Their establishment of this management company is clearly to cultivate artists of their own faction. Choosing Ling Song is probably just because his appearance in ‘Drunken Immortal Platform’ is very good, and Jiang Huaiyuan praised him highly. They probably want to pre-book a popular star. Besides, it’s been several years, who would have thought you still haven’t let go of your grudge with Ling Song?”

Han Ming appeared expressionless, yet he was like a gloomy aura-generating machine.

He thought his suppression of Ling Song was pushing the man to his limit, believing that soon Ling Song would submit to him. But he never expected Juxing Media to suddenly give Ling Song a ladder to success, rendering all his previous efforts futile.

His assistant came in to deliver documents and could only comfort him: “Boss, you actually know Ling Song’s personality—unyielding and arrogant. He has a good appearance, but won’t Juxing ask him to attend drinking parties? Won’t they ask him to act in garbage scripts? Won’t they make him accompany bigwigs? At that time, won’t he just flip the table?”

Hearing this, Han Ming’s expression eased considerably.

He snorted coldly: “Neither Qi Yanfeng nor Chen Qian are easy to get along with. Plus, that Mu Xianqing, when has he ever been without a lover? Ling Song thinks he’s found a new backer, but how does he know it’s not a darker, deeper quagmire?”

---

However, the “darker, deeper quagmire” he spoke of had already secured several high-quality drama roles as male second or male third leads for Ling Song. The key was that Ling Song also had the opportunity to choose.

After listening to his assistant’s introduction, Ling Song found that the company truly considered him. The scripts they found, while not necessarily having many appearances for his character, were all solid stories with well-developed characters.

“These… I can choose myself?” Ling Song looked at his assistant with some suspicion.

The assistant nodded vigorously: “Of course! Some of these roles have overlapping schedules, and CEO Chen means you can only choose which role you like more.”

Ling Song then asked: “These roles… are all very important. Did CEO Chen say I need to go drink with investors or producers?”

The little assistant shook his head again, smiling, and said, “CEO Chen said you are an actor, and the most important thing is acting. Only by acting well can you make money for the shareholders. Whether it’s drinking or negotiating cooperation terms, there are dedicated personnel for that.”

Although Ling Song had long prepared himself to fall into another abyss, hearing what the little assistant said still touched his heart.

He suddenly thought that the origin of all this seemed to be Jiang Ruotang.

This time, he no longer hesitated. He took out his phone, clicked on Jiang Ruotang’s profile picture, and sent a short but very serious voice message.

[Thank you, CEO Jiang.]

The little assistant was a bit curious, wondering who CEO Jiang was.

---

At this time, Jiang Ruotang and Lu Guifan were at the driving school’s training ground, ready to practice driving.

Although they enrolled in VIP lessons, there were only Jiang Ruotang and Lu Guifan as students in the entire car.

The instructor had just driven the car over, got out, greeted them, and smiled, saying he didn’t expect to teach two such handsome guys this time, and told them to get in the car.

Lu Guifan went to the driver’s seat first. Jiang Ruotang didn’t think much and sat in the passenger seat, even dutifully buckling his seatbelt. He felt a little excited, thinking he could admire Lu Guifan driving up close.

The instructor leaned against the car window helplessly, looking down at Jiang Ruotang, and said, “Little handsome guy, are you going to teach him to drive?”

Only then did Jiang Ruotang realize the passenger seat was for the instructor!

It was truly embarrassing. He lowered his head, quickly opened the car door, and obediently moved to the back seat.

Lu Guifan looked up and saw Jiang Ruotang’s expression in the rearview mirror, couldn’t help but smile.

It seems I need to get my driver’s license soon so that Jiang Ruotang can sit in my passenger seat earlier.

If it were in his previous life, Jiang Ruotang would still consider Lu Guifan a theoretician.

But in this life, he had witnessed Lu Guifan’s practical abilities. This guy not only learned coding and editing astonishingly fast, but he also picked up driving quickly and smoothly. The instructor praised him profusely.

When it was Jiang Ruotang’s turn, Jiang Ruotang, who already knew how to drive, confidently sat in the driver’s seat and grabbed the steering wheel that Lu Guifan had held for a long time. Who knew that just driving around obstacles would be completely different from what Jiang Ruotang imagined?

“Kill it! Kill it! I told you to kill it!”

Jiang Ruotang’s eardrums felt like they were about to burst from the instructor’s shouting. He thought, Am I not killing it already?

“What do you want me to kill?”

“You kill me!” The instructor covered his eyes.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ruotang pulled so hard that the leather cover on the steering wheel ripped off.

The instructor looked at Jiang Ruotang and, after a long pause, said, “Handsome guy, you look gentle, but you have quite a bit of strength.”

Jiang Ruotang swallowed: “I’ll pay for it…”

“No need, take it back as a souvenir.”

Who wants this as a souvenir!

After studying like this for an entire afternoon, Jiang Ruotang was like a frosted eggplant, tired and sleepy, squatting outside the driving school gate, looking exactly like an extra waiting for boxed meals.

Lu Guifan went to a small convenience store nearby and bought a box of ice cream. He squatted next to Jiang Ruotang and handed it to him.

“You’ll definitely get your driver’s license.”

Jiang Ruotang paused at this comfort. Of course, he knew he would definitely get his driver’s license. In his previous life, he drove like a pro, rushing to announcements and avoiding paparazzi; he was amazing! But hearing Lu Guifan’s comfort, was he doubting that he wouldn’t be able to get his driver’s license?

Taking a bite of ice cream, Jiang Ruotang quickly felt relieved.

He was no longer anyone’s underling now; he didn’t need to rush frantically. Even if he did, that would be his boyfriend’s business, right?

Jiang Ruotang patted Lu Guifan’s shoulder and said meaningfully, “I believe you’ll definitely become the Autumn Mountain Car God.”

“Huh?” Lu Guifan looked puzzled.

Where is Autumn Mountain?

---

Fortunately, the day before they left for university, both of them got their driver’s licenses. On the way home, their heads were close together, planning what kind of car to buy.

Little Gao, in the front seat, sighed while holding the steering wheel, “I feel like I’m about to lose my job.”

They discussed back and forth, and finally decided to buy an SUV with three rows of seats. This way, they could drive other friends home after gatherings, and they wouldn’t have trouble fitting things if there were too many.

Of course, Jiang Ruotang’s consideration was that an SUV has more space, and Lu Guifan’s legs were so long that he needed enough room to stretch out, right?

He chuckled inwardly, but Lu Guifan’s gaze darted over.

“What are you thinking about now?”

Jiang Ruotang answered with a serious face: “The car’s performance.”

Lu Guifan chuckled softly, as if to say, I don’t believe a word you say.

“You just got your driver’s licenses and you’re buying an SUV? Can you drive it?” Little Gao asked worriedly.

Lu Guifan smiled, “Brother Xiao Gao, since you’re here, why don’t you let me drive for a bit, and you can watch from the side.”

Little Gao was happy to: “Sure, I’ll find a place to pull over, and you can switch.”

Unexpectedly, Lu Guifan drove very steadily. Many common novice mistakes, such as a narrow field of vision, sudden braking, and sudden starts, Lu Guifan avoided entirely. He drove smoothly all the way to Jiang Ruotang’s doorstep, and even demonstrated parallel parking.

Little Gao patted his chest and said, “I’m relieved about you two.”

Jiang Ruotang was displeased: “Brother Xiao Gao, I haven’t driven for you yet, so how can you be relieved?”

Little Gao said matter-of-factly, “You two are together; you don’t even need to think about it, Little Lu will definitely be driving. Since he drives well, you’ll basically be sleeping next to him.”Jiang Ruotang thought to himself, Should I thank you on Lu Guifan’s behalf for your affirmation?