Chapter 2 - Chapter 2Ye Jialan made it big.

At half past four in the morning, a woman's shrill scream echoed from the second-floor bedroom of Building 6, Lanhai Family Estate in the capital."Ah! I must still be half-asleep. This can't be real. I must be dreaming!"With that, An Ran pinched her thigh hard. Seconds later, an even louder shriek tore through the night, startling a few birds perched on the balcony rail."Hahaha! Hahaha! I'm famous! I'm really famous now!"An Ran cackled wildly, stumbled, and collapsed face-first onto the plush king-size bed.Fumbling beside the bed, she grabbed her phone still plugged in, yanked out the charger, and unlocked it with her delicate, jade-like fingers.She found Ye Jialan's number in her contacts and dialed it without a second thought for the ungodly hour.The ringtone blared from the phone's speaker, filling the silent bedroom. An Ran clutched the device, her whole body trembling with excitement. "Come on, girl! Pick up the phone!"Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers outside the capital, in a secluded villa on the outskirts.Bright moonlight filtered through the cream-colored curtains, illuminating a second-floor bedroom decorated in warm, cozy tones that exuded a quiet sense of comfort.On the oversized bed lay a girl sleeping peacefully, her face as serene as an angel's. A faint smile played on her lips, as if she were having a sweet dream.The blaring phone ringtone failed to rouse her, but it did stir Lu Shihuan, who lay beside her dressed in casual pajamas.His eyes snapped open, sharp and glinting with annoyance—until they fell on Ye Jialan's tranquil sleeping face, and the irritation faded instantly.He frowned, sitting up. The open collar of his pajamas revealed a expanse of smooth, wheat-toned skin, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly as he swallowed.Bending down carefully, he picked up the phone lying next to Ye Jialan.It was a gift he'd given her for her eighteenth birthday, and she'd never replaced it—not even the phone case, which they'd bought together at a store in Chinatown back in America.The pastel-pink case looked childish, yet somehow it suited Ye Jialan perfectly.Glancing at the caller ID, Lu Shihuan muted the phone first, then swung his impossibly long legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.He walked to the balcony, slid open the glass door, and stepped outside."Hello..."On the other end of the line, at Lanhai Family Estate, An Ran jolted at the sound of that voice. She checked the number—she hadn't dialed wrong. So why was he answering Ye Jialan's phone?On the balcony, Lu Shihuan's patience was already wearing thin. If it weren't for the fact that An Ran was Ye Jialan's best friend, he would've hung up and turned the phone off ages ago."An Ran. Do you have any idea what time it is?"An Ran froze. She pulled the phone away from her ear, glanced at the time, and gasped in shock. "Oh my god! I totally forgot—it's the middle of the night!"In her defense, she'd been filming night shoots for her latest drama lately, so she'd completely lost track of day and night.Lu Shihuan took a deep breath. "Spit it out. What do you want?"An Ran gulped nervously. Yep, it was definitely him. But why was he with Jialan at this hour?"Three... Two... One...""Wait! Don't hang up! I'll talk, I'll talk!"She'd never actually met Lu Shihuan in person, but she'd heard plenty about him from Ye Jialan—and one of the things she'd learned was that he had zero patience."It's... it's about Jialan. Do you know she's famous now? She's blown up!""Hmm..."That one cold, dismissive syllable was enough to make An Ran see red."How can you be so calm about it?!"Lu Shihuan turned around, gazing through the glass at the girl still sound asleep in bed. A faint, fond smile tugged at his lips. "It was only a matter of time, wasn't it?"From the moment Ye Jialan had stepped into the entertainment industry, he'd known his girl was destined to shine. So why would he be surprised?An Ran: "..." Ugh, that old buzzard! He's so weird. I swear, he's got some kind of sixth sense or something!Left with nothing to say, An Ran sighed dejectedly and hung up the phone.What else could she do? After all, Jialan had a ridiculously powerful sugar daddy-slash-childhood sweetheart watching her back.Back inside the villa, Lu Shihuan didn't return to bed right away. Instead, he went downstairs and brewed a cup of coffee.Padding into the living room in his slippers, he set the mug down on the glass coffee table, then leaned back lazily against the black leather sofa and pulled out his phone to check the trending topics.Just as An Ran had said—Ye Jialan was famous. The hashtags related to her portrayal of the naive girl were flooded with rave reviews.PricklyRedRose: Sniffle... After watching the movie, I just realized Xiaoxiao's whole life was a tragedy. She finally stopped being "the fool," only to fall for a guy who didn't love her back... Whyyyyyyy 😭AlpacaIsStillAlpaca: I went to watch this movie just to accompany my girlfriend. Never in a million years did I expect the "foolish girl" character to make me cry like a baby. Kudos to the actress!Reading through the comments, Lu Shihuan's grin threatened to split his face in two, his starry eyes crinkling with pure delight.He had more than enough money and power to let Ye Jialan live like a queen without lifting a finger. But he'd never dream of snuffing out her passion for acting.Ever since she was little, he'd noticed her natural flair for performance—and with her perfect looks, she was born to be on the big screen.Just then, a small, inconspicuous comment caught his eye.LookingBackForABaldy: Ugh, seriously? All you brain-dead fans gushing about her acting—do you even bother checking an actor's credentials? A total nobody with zero connections lands the second female lead in Director Ji's movie? Use your common sense—we all know what kind of "deals" must've gone down behind the scenes. 🤢Lu Shihuan read the comment word by word, his smile only growing wider. Anyone who knew him well enough would've recognized that smile as a death sentence for whoever had written it.Closing the browser, he tapped his phone screen rapidly and dialed a number."Ring... Ring... Ring... Hello? Who the hell is this? Don't you know it's rude to call someone this early in the morning?!""It's me."Those two simple words sent the man on the other end of the line jolting upright in bed.His voice turned tight with nervousness. "W-Who just spoke? It couldn't have been me! Uh—I mean, Sir! What an honor to receive your call so early! How can I be of service?"The man answering the phone was Xu Mu, a top-tier hacker who worked for Lu Shihuan."I've sent a screenshot to your phone. You have ten minutes to find me the exact location and personal details of the person who posted this comment.""Yes, sir! I guarantee I'll get it done!"Hanging up the phone, Xu Mu snapped fully awake. He jumped out of bed shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, and sprinted to the study next door.Back in the villa's second-floor bedroom, Ye Jialan was finally woken up by the familiar ringtone of her phone.She blinked her eyes open sleepily, only to find the spot beside her empty.She froze for a second—she was already used to Lu Shihuan disappearing like this from time to time—then fumbled for her phone and checked the caller ID."Hello... Brother Qi..."Her soft, honeyed voice made Tang Qichen's ears tingle—but it wasn't enough to distract him from his mission."Princess! Tell me you're not still in bed right now!""Mmm... Yeah... I just woke up!" She mumbled, rubbing her bleary eyes with her fists."Oh my god! Did you completely forget what I told you last night?!""Hmm? What was it... Oh no! I'm late! I'm so late! Brother Qi, I gotta go—give me thirty minutes, I'll be there ASAP!"