Chapter 42: “Sister Lili.”

Sheng Li was momentarily stunned, then sat cross-legged across from Yuan Yuan. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “Which CP? The Fengsheng Shuiqi CP?”

Yuan Yuan whispered, “The Carp CP.”

Carp? Sheng Li and Yu Chi?

“Is there actually such a CP?” Sheng Li grabbed her phone, opened Weibo, and cautiously switched to her secondary account. “Does it have a super-topic?”

“Yes, but...”

But there were very few people. Extremely few.

Sheng Li quickly found the super-topic and saw that there were only a little over two hundred fans. Moreover, the posts were extremely subtle—there weren’t even any fan edits or fanfiction writers producing content. She immediately felt a chill run down her spine, akin to being in the Arctic Circle. Frustrated, she looked at Yuan Yuan: “Why are there so few people? The Fengsheng Shuiqi CP has tens of thousands of fans!”

“Because it’s hard for people to let go,” Yuan Yuan pouted. “Everyone is shipping Yun Lansheng and Yang Lingfeng.” After all, the Xingsheng CP had existed for so many years, with an overwhelming number of fans. Moreover, Yu Chi and Xiao Lu were rivals, and their fanbases often clashed. If anyone dared to openly ship the Carp CP on Weibo, they had to be prepared for their account to be attacked until they deleted their comments and posts.

Sheng Li hadn’t visited the Xingsheng CP super-topic in a long time because it made her uncomfortable.

Yuan Yuan continued, “You don’t know, but the Xingsheng CP super-topic is always trashing Yu Chi, saying he’s stealing resources. If the Carp CP were to grow stronger, they’d accuse Yu Chi of trying to steal Xiao Lu’s girlfriend. That would bring a lot of negative attention to Yu Chi. Everyone is holding back, afraid to ship them openly…”

If it weren’t for Sheng Li, Rong Hua could have easily blackened Yu Chi by releasing a few statements about him interfering in the Xingsheng CP relationship.

However, with so few CP fans, it seemed clear that no one really believed in their pairing.

“Yuan Yuan, I remember when I first got together with Yu Chi, you didn’t like him much either. Why the sudden change of heart?” Sheng Li scrolled through Weibo absentmindedly for a few minutes before looking up at Yuan Yuan. “Is it because he’s famous now? Or because he’s even more handsome?”

Yuan Yuan quickly shook her head. “I’ve always thought he was handsome, and he’s even more so now. But back then, I did feel he wasn’t quite worthy of you. Anyone would think that, right? At that time, Yu Chi was just a freshly graduated high school student, and the gap between you two was huge.” She cautiously observed Sheng Li before carefully adding, “Maybe it’s because he’s become so outstanding and dazzling over these years. I feel like none of the people pursuing you care about you as much as he does. He’s still the one who suits you best…”

There was one more sentence Yuan Yuan didn’t dare say: Most importantly, I think you still like him.

Even Yuan Yuan had this feeling of “no one compares to him”?

“You’re wrong. It was me who pursued Yu Chi,” Sheng Li suddenly felt a bit drained. With a forced smile, she said, “We’ve been broken up for so long, and the candy you’re munching on is expired.”

It would have been fine if she hadn’t said anything, but once she did, Yuan Yuan felt a pang of sadness, suddenly nostalgic for the days when they openly shipped the couple. She timidly asked, “Can’t… can’t I start shipping them again?”

Sheng Li chuckled. “Are you suggesting I should pursue Yu Chi? Or are you hoping he’ll come back and chase after me?”

Yuan Yuan didn’t dare speak, shaking her head instead.

Both scenarios seemed highly unlikely.

How heartbreaking—if the CP she shipped was doomed to end badly?

After a brief silence, Sheng Li irritably tossed her phone aside and forced herself to focus on serious matters. “Yuan Yuan, I’ll find a suitable new assistant soon, so you won’t have to follow me around all the time anymore. You’ve been working as an assistant for so many years—it’s time to transition into becoming a manager.”

“Huh?” Yuan Yuan was stunned. “But I don’t want to be a manager.”

Sheng Li smiled. “You’re already 28 years old. You’ve been an assistant for six or seven years. Staying as an assistant any longer would be a waste of your potential.”

Yuan Yuan muttered, “I don’t have big ambitions, and I don’t want to manage others…”

“Then do something else. Learn something new. When our contract ends, I’ll set up my own studio. There aren’t many people I trust. Don’t you want to help me manage it?” Sheng Li winked, pinching Yuan Yuan’s cheek lightly. “Your value far exceeds that of an assistant, my Yuan…”

She swallowed the second “Yuan” just in time. Tsk, she had slipped again.

Yuan Yuan finally mustered a bit of determination but still tried to bargain. “Can we start next year?”

Sheng Li was briefly speechless. As she stood up, she tapped Yuan Yuan’s forehead. “You lazy fish!”

That was her way of agreeing.

After reviewing all the scripts Rong Hua had handed over, Sheng Li became interested in a movie script that only had an outline. The title was Xu Yuan , set in the 1990s and spanning into the early 2000s. The story was somewhat tragic, but the plot and character dynamics were compelling.

Sheng Li wanted to take on the role, but Rong Hua disagreed. “This film leans heavily toward the artsy side. Generally, art-house films don’t perform well at the box office. Love Again was your first leading role, and its success was due to various factors. But Xu Yuan is a female-centric film with dual male leads. Unless we can get two Best Actor winners to act opposite you, the box office won’t exceed 500 million yuan. Do you think the production team can afford to hire two Best Actors?”

“I’m not considering the box office. I love the story,” Sheng Li replied calmly. “Whether it flops or succeeds doesn’t matter to me.”

“This script was initially offered to Hong Yan, but she turned it down. Even though she’s won two Best Actress awards, she rejected it, which shows she didn’t see much potential in it,” Rong Hua sighed. “I shouldn’t have shown it to you. I’ve received two other scripts recently. Take a look at them and think carefully about which one you want to take.”

The protagonist of Xu Yuan was named Xu Yuan. The story began when Xu Yuan was 17 years old, with two male leads—one 14 and the other 18. Thirteen years later, when Xu Yuan reunites with the two men, she’s 31.

Hong Yan, who was 32 years old and had won two Best Actress awards, had the experience and age that perfectly suited the role.

Even if the film started production next year, Sheng Li would only be 27—definitely younger than ideal for the part. However, Sheng Li loved the character deeply and couldn’t stop thinking about it. She directly replied to Rong Hua, “I still want to do Xu Yuan .”

Director Chen Yuan hadn’t released a work in several years. His last film came out seven years ago. Six years ago, he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which was cured, but his health remained fragile. Over the past few years, he had been focusing on recuperating. Although some of Chen Yuan’s works had been nominated for awards at film festivals, they always narrowly missed out. This project, marking his return, wasn’t particularly anticipated. However, determined to secure the role, Sheng Li invited Chen Yuan and the screenwriter to dinner and auditioned on the spot.

Chen Yuan still felt she was a bit too young. Perhaps the production team couldn’t find a suitable actress, or maybe the investors were drawn to Sheng Li’s popularity. In the end, Sheng Li secured the role.

However, the Xu Yuan script was still in the revision stage. It wasn’t until the end of August that Sheng Li finally received the final draft—a wait of five whole months.

When she received the script, Sheng Li was filming a new slow-paced variety show called Vacation Restaurant . The show sent celebrities to unfamiliar countries to open restaurants and attract customers. To ensure high ratings for the first season, the production team spent lavishly on the main cast, including popular hosts, veteran actors, and rising stars.

Every two episodes revolved around a theme, with each theme shot over three days and two nights, followed by a group of guest appearances.

Over the past two years, many variety shows had approached Sheng Li to be a regular MC, but she had declined every offer. This was her first time taking on such a role. Surprisingly, on the first day of filming, she was assigned to stand by the roadside and attract customers. The stylist, wanting to showcase her beauty to perfection, dressed her as if she were walking the red carpet. This left her feeling like a madam from a brothel soliciting clients.

After a day of playing the madam, her calves were numb from standing.

When Rong Hua sent over the script, Sheng Li had just finished the first day of filming and was lying exhausted on the bed in her hotel room. She picked up the phone and called Rong Hua weakly. “Have the male leads been confirmed?”

“No, the film probably won’t start production until early next year. They’re still in talks,” Rong Hua paused. “Lu Xingyu wants the role.”

Sheng Li frowned. “I don’t want to act with him. Besides, we need to untie our partnership—it’s not suitable to act together anymore.”

Rong Hua said, “I understand, but this time, he insisted on taking the role himself. I don’t want him to take it either. This character isn’t a good fit for him, and… if this movie flops, it will affect him much more than it will affect you.”

Perhaps spurred by Yu Chi’s success, Lu Xingyu had been relatively well-behaved over the past year, with fewer scandals involving casual flings and sleeping with fans. However, his popularity had definitely declined compared to two years ago, with many fans switching their allegiance to Yu Chi.

Thinking of Yu Chi, Sheng Li felt a bit dazed. Truthfully, she wanted to act with Yu Chi again.

Three years after their breakup, his growth had exceeded her expectations. Recently, online polls were predicting this year’s Golden Horse Award for Best Actor, and Yu Chi’s voting rate was very high. Even if he didn’t win, he was almost certain to be nominated.

Sheng Li had watched Malice , and even without bias, she felt Yu Chi had the best chance.

After the success of the movie, Yu Chi and Chen Yu appeared together on a program, filmed magazine covers, and shot advertisements. It was normal for the leads of a hit movie or TV drama to collaborate on covers and ads, but during one program, Chen Yu revealed her ideal type:

—Cool personality, handsome, good acting skills, and a top student.

Wasn’t this description tailored to Yu Chi?

Of course, after the program aired, Chen Yu was harshly criticized by Yu Chi’s fans, who accused her of riding the coattails of his fame and self-promotion.

Although Chen Yu was relentlessly attacked by Yu Chi’s fans for a long time, she was indeed his first rumored romantic interest.

Sheng Li didn’t really believe that Yu Chi would be with Chen Yu, but every time she saw these rumors, she couldn’t help but overthink things. After all, they were about the same age, and Chen Yu genuinely seemed to like Yu Chi…

At the end of October, the nominations for the Golden Horse Awards were announced. Malice was nominated for Best Film, and as expected, Yu Chi was nominated for Best Actor.

What surprised Sheng Li more was that she herself was nominated for Best Actress.

However, both Sheng Li and Rong Hua felt that the chances of winning were slim. Still, receiving a nomination was quite an achievement.

Meanwhile, the Vacation Restaurant program had reached its final theme. The show’s ratings had been consistently good, and the director teased the audience by not revealing the final batch of guests until the day before filming.

Everyone in the group was speculating about who the last batch of guests might be.

Someone said: [Could it be Yu Chi and Chen Yu?]

Given the show’s budget, and considering how popular Yu Chi and Chen Yu were recently, it wouldn’t be surprising if they splurged to invite them.

Sheng Li watched the discussion in the group chat, paused for a moment, and thought, “No way, right? Would Huang Baiyan allow Yu Chi to appear on my show?”

No, no way.

It definitely can’t be Yu Chi.

But what if it is? What should she do? Three days and two nights of filming sounded unbearable, yet… she couldn’t suppress the faint anticipation bubbling in her heart. Sheng Li couldn’t help but despise herself. What was she expecting? If Yu Chi gave her the cold shoulder throughout the shoot, how would she handle it?!

However, Murphy’s Law never fails—what you fear most will inevitably happen.

On the day of filming, Sheng Li stood at the restaurant entrance when the car carrying the guests pulled up smoothly in front of her. The rear door opened, and a familiar face stepped out. Seeing her, the person smiled brightly. “Sister, it’s been a while.”

Sheng Li was momentarily stunned. She had heard this opening line last year. The person standing before her was close to the one she met last year. Looking at Xu Yang, whom she hadn’t seen in three years, she smiled. “Xu Yang, it hasn’t been that long. I watched your competition, and I even voted for you.”

Before her words faded, another person stepped out of the car. It was a three-row SUV, and the person, likely sleeping in the back row, took a bit longer to exit. Holding a black bucket hat, he appeared to have just woken up, his expression groggy and rather impatient.

Without emotion, Yu Chi placed the bucket hat on his head, glanced at Xu Yang, and then turned to Sheng Li. With a faint curve of his lips, he greeted, “Sister Lili.”

Sheng Li: “...”