Chapter 141: Collaborative Filming

The camera shifts: a pair of outstretched arms holds a bouquet of flowers, the person wearing a food delivery uniform. Opposite him, Ji Ya, dressed in a white gown, beams with a look of pleasant surprise at another man beside her.

He accepts the flowers, yet she no longer belongs to him.

As the shoot wraps, Lin Yu and Ji Ya walk together to review the footage. They lean in toward each other inadvertently, leaving the original "protagonist"—the man who played the lead role just moments ago—standing on the sidelines.

Good grief, was he just a prop in their little game?

Su Xiaolin looks at them with the expression of someone who saw the ending coming a mile away. She sighs helplessly, watching the pair. Why don't they just go public already instead of force-feeding her dog food every single day!

Still, dog food is better when shared with a crowd!

...

In the next scene, Lin Yu prepares to film back at the company. There is a street corner downstairs that serves as a perfect backdrop; the music video is short, and it should only take a few minutes to finish.

With three or four camera transitions, the total runtime will be sufficient.

Since Ji Fei’s agency occupies the entire building, the staff members who were resting after hours have been cleared out. This corner is usually a popular spot for photos!

Hearing that the CEO is filming a music video with Lin Yu, many employees sneak into the corners to watch.

Lin Yu stands behind a wall. Ji Ya walks over, chatting happily with a friend. She appears to have moved on, single and focused on her career—the scene is set several years after the previous one. Lin Yu steps out, his hands hidden behind his back, clutching a ring and a bouquet.

He wants to win back the beauty he lost.

But just as he steps out from behind the wall, the camera cuts: Ji Ya is now in a wedding dress, standing beside a man in a suit wearing a groom’s boutonniere. Lin Yu is still wearing his delivery uniform.

They brush past each other; the happiness of the past is lost forever.

The camera shifts again, this time to an outdoor location. Amidst the bustling street traffic, Lin Yu steps out of a luxury car and enters a supermarket, only to freeze.

The lens cuts to Ji Ya, who is holding two cups of yogurt, comparing prices. The man beside her impatiently swats her hand away.

Now, Lin Yu has achieved fame and success, yet he can only watch as the woman he once loved deeply struggles over the mundane trifles of daily life.

Yet, he has no standing or right to appear by her side!

"Alright, that's a wrap!"

With all the scenes for the music video finished, the remaining work is left to the editors. Once the music is added, the video will be complete.

Lin Yu reviews the edited clips. The narrative fits his new song, "More Than Time Can't Return," perfectly.

Cherish the person right in front of you; don't wait until you've missed out to feel regret!

Returning to the company to change back into his own clothes, the others head back to their stations. Ji Ya returns to her management duties, heading to the conference room for an urgent meeting.

She always has endless meetings, which correspond to the company’s steady growth and expansion.

At 7:30 PM, Lin Yu knocks on the door of the CEO’s office. "Boss, hungry?"

"A little." Ji Ya sets down the last contract, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she rests her chin on her hand. "What? Thinking of treating me to dinner?"

"That's not out of the question. After all, if the CEO is willing to lower herself to participate in a rookie's music video, a meal is the least I can do."

"My time is very valuable. A simple meal won't cut it, unless... we have a candlelight dinner at the highest peak, enjoying the aurora while eating a million-dollar steak."

Ji Ya isn't joking. She really does make an exorbitant amount of money in a single day. If any other artist asked her to waste a full day on something unrelated to work, they would have been fired just for the audacity of breathing.

"I can't afford a million-dollar meal, but how about we talk about a business deal worth hundreds of millions?"

"Oh? Ji Fei's little rookie has that kind of capability? Doesn't that mean you're wasting your talent in my little temple?"

Lin Yu leans in closer, a cheeky, roguish grin on his face. "Do you really want to talk about a deal worth hundreds of millions?"

Ji Ya glances at her vibrating phone and suddenly seems to realize something. She looks up and glares at him, asking indignantly,

"Don't tell me you're talking about that kind of 'hundreds of millions' business where a man and a woman find a private room and lie on a bed, one on top of the other?"

Lin Yu chuckles.

The boss finally caught on.

"Ouch! That hurts! Let's talk things out, stop pulling my ear!"

...

Ji Ya is truly defeated by him.

If anyone else had made such an occasional teasing remark, she would have sent them packing, far enough away that she would never see them again for the rest of her life.

But when it comes to Lin Yu...

Well...

That feeling is impossible to describe—wanting and yet not wanting. Is this what they call love? She shakes her head to deny it. As for something like love, she doesn't deserve it yet.

With the heavy burden of the company and thousands of people waiting for their livelihoods, she has no time for personal entanglements.

...

In the end, she compromises and goes out to eat with him. Lin Yu parks in a somewhat secluded spot.

Their luxury car pulls up to the curb. Even though they are dressed low-key, the allure of the wealthy to ordinary people is lethal.

Lin Yu chooses a crowded street food stall, skillfully orders some skewers, and takes a seat amidst the boisterous greeting of the enthusiastic landlady.

Having never been to such places, Ji Ya stands there awkwardly. Even after wiping the chair with a tissue, she still looks somewhat hesitant and repulsed.

A chorus of whistles comes from a group of men nearby. Startled, she instinctively covers her chest and lowers her head, only to lock eyes with a few pairs of eyes belonging to men squatting by the roadside eating noodles.

The people eating here are mostly laborers living in cheap rentals nearby—men of low status, low income, and low education. Seeing a peerless beauty like Ji Ya, it is inevitable that they would make catcalls and crude jokes.

The lewd gazes scanning her body make Ji Ya feel extremely uncomfortable.

Lin Yu steps directly in front of her, blocking those ill-intentioned stares. He smiles lightly, his tone serious.

"Don't be afraid of these people. They're just looking for a bit of fun; they wouldn't dare actually do anything."

"If they ever dared to come over, I’d just have to pull a 'Lü Bu'—brandishing a broom covered in filth to crush them!"

Ji Ya is amused by his remark. Lin Yu gentlemanly takes off his jacket and lays it on her chair. Once she is seated, he says softly,

"This is the life of ordinary people. They work their fingers to the bone by day for a few pennies, and at night, without much entertainment, they gather with a few friends to drink beer and eat skewers."

"The people in this area are just a microcosm of countless corners of the city. I used to be just like them."

"But don't worry, the skewers here actually taste pretty good. While you experience the life of an ordinary person, try the flavors of the world. Perhaps this will leave a deeper impression on you than a million-dollar dinner?"

Ji Ya frowns, lost in thought.

She has lived a pampered life since childhood. Her only hardship was when she first started as an intern, but other than that supervisor who targeted her out of jealousy, her life had been relatively leisurely and carefree.