Zhou Yining sprang up from his lap like a startled cat, glaring down at him, “What do you mean? Who said I’ve never been in a relationship? So what if I can’t be ‘soft and boneless’?It’s just that I can’t act soft in front of your expressionless face!”

Ji Dongyang stood up, his voice cold, “Are you saying you can’t continue filming?”

Zhou Yining fell silent.

Their conversation reached the ears of everyone around them, and the atmosphere grew tense. No one dared to breathe too loudly. Ji Dongyang was angry.

Ji Dongyang was known in the industry for his professionalism. He held himself to a high standard and expected the same from his co-stars. Facing a newcomer like Zhou Yining, who kept messing up her takes and refused to back down, must have pushed his patience to its limit.

Rumor had it that when Ji Dongyang got angry, he was even scarier than the director.

Ji Dongyang looked at Zhou Yining, his gaze cold and unwavering. Zhou Yining suddenly raised her head, and the two locked eyes in a silent standoff.

It was as if invisible swords clashed in the air between them.

The tension was palpable.

After half a minute, Zhou Yining gritted her teeth and said, “I’ll film.”

Director Xu waited until the standoff between the two was over before calling out, “Take a break. Zhou Yining, get into character. We’ll shoot the palace maid scene first. We’ll resume in twenty minutes!”

He waved at Ji Dongyang and Zhou Yining, “You two, come here.”

Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang walked out one after the other. As Zhou Yining stepped over the threshold, she tripped on the hem of her long skirt and stumbled forward. Ji Dongyang quickly reached out and caught her by the waist from behind. Zhou Yining grabbed his arm in panic, steadying herself. Once she regained her composure, her face pale, she muttered a quiet “Thank you.”

Ji Dongyang let go, his fingers briefly tightening before he pulled away. Her waist was just as slender and soft as he remembered.

Director Xu observed them before turning to Ji Dongyang. “You two should practice your scenes together in private. Dongyang, help Zhou Yining get into character. Practice a few times.”

Ji Dongyang frowned slightly.
Zhou Yining was certain he wouldn’t agree, and she was about to refuse herself, when she unexpectedly heard him say, “Alright, I got it.”

She looked up in surprise, but Ji Dongyang didn’t meet her gaze. He turned and walked away.

After a few steps, he looked back at her, “What are you waiting for?”

Zhou Yining: “…”

She didn’t want to listen to him.

Director Xu: “Go! Do you want to keep messing up dozens of times?”

Zhou Yining reluctantly followed.

She followed Ji Dongyang into his private dressing room. A Ming handed him a cup of coffee, “Brother Dong, your coffee.”

Ji Dongyang took it, sat down, and silently sipped his coffee.

Zhou Yining stood by the door like an idiot, completely ignored. She must have been out of her mind to follow him here.

A Ming had witnessed their tense interaction earlier. Having worked with Brother Dong for years, he could tell that his boss was still pissed. He turned to Zhou Yining, trying to ease the mood. “Miss Zhou, would you like a cup of coffee?”

Ji Dongyang was a coffee drinker, and A Ming had a coffee machine set up in the dressing room.

Zhou Yining appreciated the offer. “Sure, thanks.”

She walked over and sat down across from Ji Dongyang.

The two of them drank their coffee in silence.

Ji Dongyang’s dark eyes turned to her, and he spoke in a cool tone, “Let’s begin.”

Zhou Yining didn’t want to, but she forced herself forward. It’s just acting, nothing special.

Ji Dongyang began breaking down the scene for her. To Zhou Yining’s surprise, he had memorized not just his own lines but hers as well. He dissected every word, every expression, every movement.

He concluded, “Let’s try it once.”

Zhou Yining had been listening intently and was momentarily stunned. “Now?”

Ji Dongyang raised an eyebrow, “When else?”

Zhou Yining stood up, took a deep breath, and said, “Alright.”

The next second, she saw Ji Dongyang’s expression shift, he was already in character. Even as an amateur, she could tell he had fully immersed himself in the role. Her nerves kicked in. He had been so detailed in his explanation just now, if she still failed to immerse herself in the role, she would look like a complete fool.

She never liked to admit defeat, and she certainly didn’t want to lose.

Taking another deep breath, Zhou Yining walked toward him, convincing herself to change her mindset. She had to submit to this man from the bottom of her heart. He was the emperor, and she was his concubine.

“Your Majesty, it has been so long since you last visited me…”

Her phoenix eyes fluttered slightly, filled with a delicate charm and a trace of grievance. She gazed at him with quiet longing.

Ji Dongyang set down the script, looking up at her.
His lips curled into a faint smile as his hand slid onto her waist.
Zhou Yining froze for a moment before reacting—she naturally settled onto his lap, her body soft and boneless as she leaned against his shoulder.
Her red lips pressed together, eyes shimmering like water as she silently accused him with her gaze.

Time slipped by unnoticed.
They completed the scene in one go.

A few minutes later, Ji Dongyang’s voice broke the silence, cool as ever. “Aren’t you getting up? How long are you planning to sit there?”

Zhou Yining: “…”

In an instant, she snapped out of character and bounced off him like a spring.

A Ming, who had been watching, was impressed. Thought to himself, *If only Brother Dong had given her pointers earlier! They matched so well!*

Just as Zhou Yining was feeling a little pleased with herself, thinking she had done well, Ji Dongyang spoke again.
“One more time. Your eyes weren’t seductive enough.”

…

The next afternoon, Zhou Yining and Ji Dongyang re-shot the scene from the previous day. Unexpectedly, their chemistry had improved. Director Xu and the assistant director were amazed by Zhou Yining’s improvement. They almost wanted to give Ji Dongyang a round of applause, his guidance really made a difference.

The scene was completed in one take.

Director Xu even praised her with a smile, “Not bad!”

Zhou Yining grinned, but the next second, her eyes met Ji Dongyang’s. She awkwardly looked away and walked off.

Ji Dongyang’s expression remained unchanged as he got up and returned to his dressing room.

Later, Zhou Yining was in the dressing room preparing for her next scene when Zhou Wei walked in.
Standing behind the makeup mirror, she grinned. “You did well just now. If you keep this up, you might get popular once the drama airs.”

Zhou Yining didn’t believe it, “Really? My character is so evil. I’ll probably get a lot of hate.”

Zhou Wei raised an eyebrow. “That’s where you’re wrong. The more despicable a character, the more memorable they are. If you can make viewers hate you enough to grit their teeth, that means you’ve succeeded.”

Zhou Wei leaned in and teased, “I didn’t see it yesterday, but I heard you had a lot of NG takes. Director Xu was scolding you like crazy. But today, your performance was great. It’s true what they say, Brother Dong’s guidance makes all the difference.”

Zhou Yining remembered how Ji Dongyang had made her rehearse the scene eight times before he was satisfied.

He really was ridiculously strict.

After passing Ji Dongyang’s first test, Zhou Yining gradually found her footing. Although she still got scolded by Director Xu occasionally, at least she wasn’t messing up her takes as frequently.

After a week of continuous filming, Zhou Yining had a two-day break.

The wine cabinet she had asked Zhou Shen to arrange was finally ready.

After lunch, Zhou Yining rushed to her new home. Shortly after, Zhou Shen’s wine delivery arrived.

Zhou Shen’s family was in the wine business, and they were efficient. The wine cabinet was quickly filled with bottles, some she liked, some she didn’t.

Zhou Yining shooed him away, “Alright, you can go now.”

Zhou Shen cursed, “Damn, you’re not even going to treat me to a meal?”

Zhou Yining ignored him, pushed him to the door, and slammed it shut.

She grabbed a bottle of wine from the cabinet, sat down on the dark carpet, and pulled out her script.

She didn’t even bother with a glass, drinking straight from the bottle.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a lazy glow on the cat-like woman. She sat with her knees drawn up, her slender, pale legs fully exposed, her delicate feet bare on the carpet. She looked down at the script on her lap, occasionally taking a swig from the bottle.

By the time the sun set, Zhou Yining stood up and tossed the empty bottle into the trash.

She grabbed her backpack from the sofa, slung it over her shoulder, and slipped on her high heels at the entrance before leaving.

Standing in front of the elevator, she idly scrolled through her phone.

“Ding—”

She looked up and froze.

The man stepping out of the elevator wore a baseball cap and a black mask hanging loosely from one ear. His features were sharp, his nose straight, and his lips thin.

His expression was as cold as ever.

Ji Dongyang was also momentarily surprised but quickly regained his composure. He looked at her curiously and asked, “Do you live here?”

Zhou Yining nodded, avoiding his gaze, “Yeah, I just moved in.”

They were standing close, and as she spoke, the scent of alcohol on her breath reached him. Ji Dongyang, with his keen sense of smell, noticed it immediately.

As the elevator doors began to close, Zhou Yining quickly pressed the button to keep them open and stepped inside.

Ji Dongyang didn’t look back and walked away.

As his tall figure disappeared around the corner, Zhou Yining, almost instinctively, tiptoed out of the elevator and peeked around the corner to see if Ji Dongyang would unlock the door across from hers.

Ji Dongyang stood in front of his door, glanced at the opposite unit, and with one hand in his pocket, entered the code to his home.

Seeing him walk inside, Zhou Yining pouted and pulled her head back.

Not only did they live in the same building, but they were also neighbors.

What terrible luck.

Fate was like stepping in dog poop—you never knew when it would happen.

She needed to find out how often he stayed here before deciding whether to move.

But with so many properties he owned, would she end up running into him again?

Ji Dongyang’s acting fees were high, and after more than a decade in the industry, he had undoubtedly amassed a fortune. Rumors said he wasn’t good at managing his money or investing—he just acted. A lot of his earnings went into buying real estate.

With so much money, he probably owned properties everywhere.

Zhou Yining headed to the underground parking garage, opened her car door, and glanced at A Ming, who was on the phone in the car next to hers.

A Ming: “Brother Dong said it’s fine. He’ll cook for himself. I stocked his fridge with frozen dumplings and beef last time. Brother Yang, don’t worry.”

Brother Yang was Ji Dongyang’s manager.

A Ming hung up and turned to Zhou Yining with a bright smile, “Miss Zhou, what a coincidence.”

Zhou Yining smiled and started her engine, “Not really.”

With a sharp turn, she drove off.

A Ming watched the SUV disappear into the distance and muttered, “That car is seriously cool.”

Less than half a minute later, Zhou Yining drove back. She got out of the car and looked at A Ming, “I’ve been drinking. Can you give me a ride to a place where I can catch a cab?”

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