The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

Suwen nestled quietly against his chest like a cat, listening attentively and nodding occasionally.

Lu Zheng had always known that Su Wen was ambitious. Even if he could help her get a film contract directly, she would be grateful but not necessarily happy. Instead, he would let her work hard for it herself. If she succeeded, everyone would be happy, and if she failed, he would help her make amends.

Sometimes Lu Zheng would realize that he was the absolute dominant one in this relationship. With Su Wen's strong sense of self-respect, how could she silently accept it without any complaints?

From that day on, Suwen spent all her time reading "Shanghai Dialect Crash Course" and watching many movies and TV shows about old Shanghai. Because there was a smoking scene in Director Wei's script, Suwen even asked Lu Zheng for a cigarette, lit it, and studied the smoking posture for a long time.

The living room was filled with smoke, and Suwen was so choked that she could barely open her eyes, but she was still looking at herself in the mirror.

Lu Zheng, who had been forced to cook in the kitchen, had no choice but to put down the spatula, lift her down from the windowsill, and sit her down at the dining table: "Sweetie, a woman who smokes is not as pretty as a woman who has eaten her fill."

After three days of hard practice, Suwen finally mustered up the courage to dial the number Ye Zi had left her.

The person who answered the phone wasn't Director Wei; it was obvious that getting Director Wei's private number wasn't easy. It was a woman on the other end, who spoke very politely: "I'm sorry, Director Wei isn't here. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I am Nie Suwen from Huayi Brothers Media. I received the script for Director Wei's new film before."

"Oh, an audition..." The man seemed to know what was going on. "Director Wei is on vacation these days, visiting his old friends in Beijing."

"When will he come back from his vacation?" Suwen was immediately a little discouraged.

“Director Wei didn’t say. But…” she said slowly, leaving the audience in suspense, “If you can’t wait, you can go to the private club in Denei Hutong to find him. He should be there all day.”

Su Wen paused for a moment: "A private...club?"

That was clearly not a place for someone like her to barge into.

Upon arriving at the location, just as she had expected, Suwen had no choice but to dial Lu Zheng's number. Assistant Xu arrived within fifteen minutes and personally handed her the platinum membership card. The name on the card was none other than Nie Suwen.

The club's staff, seeing her platinum card, naturally treated her like an honored guest. Pushing open the vermilion gate, stepping on the blue bricks, and passing through the rustic wooden carved corridor, with flowing water beneath her feet, she found herself in a courtyard house with a skylight and indoor heating, keeping it warm and cozy all year round.

The melodious sounds of traditional Chinese string and wind instruments drifted from the inner courtyard. Suwen, having only recently begun studying Shanghai culture, recognized the tune as Suzhou Pingtan. A pot of aged tea was brewing on the tea table in the courtyard—a truly leisurely place to enjoy oneself.

"A friend of Director Wei? Please come in." The waiter became even more enthusiastic when she mentioned Wei Liao's name, and led her all the way to the depths of the inner courtyard before respectfully leaving.

At the far end of the courtyard, there was only one side room. The target she needed to conquer was right there behind that carved wooden door.

As Suwen approached the room, she was pondering how to explain her purpose when she knocked on the door when suddenly a "snap" sound came from inside.

A crisp, decisive slap.

Suwen stopped raising her hand and stood there stunned outside the door for a moment.

A soft, rustling sound, followed by a woman's cold, tearful voice: "I'm leaving now, goodbye."

Before Suwen could process the sudden burst of Shanghainese dialect, the door was opened in front of her—a woman in a stunning navy blue openwork cheongsam, yet her expression was one of anger and sorrow. She rushed out, covering her face, almost bumping into Suwen in her haste.

Su Wen awkwardly tugged at the corner of her mouth: "I'm sorry, are you alright?"

The woman in the cheongsam swept her beautiful eyes over Suwen's face, and Suwen quickly stepped aside to make way for her. The woman glanced back into the room, stomped her foot, and stormed off.

The place was a mess, a complete mess.

This describes what's currently in Nie Suwen's mind.

In this situation, should we still go in? What if we accidentally stumble upon a famous director's private affairs and he becomes furious?

Almost the instant she turned to leave, two words came from inside: "Come in."

Su Wen hesitated only for a moment before lowering her head, pushing the door open and going inside, giving herself no time to back out.

The moment the door opened, Nie Suwen froze, standing at the entrance.

The man inside had a pure white bath towel tied around his waist, his upper body was naked, and he was bending down with his back to her, looking for cigarettes on the coffee table, revealing a whole expanse of his broad, bronze back.

Suwen didn't believe it, so she went back out and looked around again. There really was only one room in the courtyard...

The man lit a cigarette, straightened up, and wasn't surprised to see her: "A newcomer from Huayi Brothers?"

"Director...?"

He smiled slightly.

"Please come in."

Suwen silently weighed the options: should she believe he was an internationally renowned director, or should she believe he was a man with a chaotic private life?

Wei Liao understood her thoughts perfectly and pinpointed her doubts with a single sentence: "Aren't you an actor? You should be used to this kind of scene, right?"

Suwen's face grew even hotter. She steeled herself, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her.

Wei Liao turned around. It has to be said that Director Wei, who is nearly forty, still maintains a very good figure. Su Wen's eyes burned and she looked away.

"Sit down, I'll go inside and change my clothes." Wei Liao gestured to the wide chair behind the coffee table.

As she waited for him to change, Nie Suwen felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Why had Lu Zheng never told her that a woman would rush out of Director Wei's room crying? Why hadn't he told her that Director Wei was that kind of person?

The door to the changing room opened, and Wei Liao, already dressed in smart casual clothes, had no extra expression on his face.

"let's start."

"Huh?" She looked up in surprise.

Wei Liao walked to the rattan chair and sat down, leaning back in a relaxed manner: "Didn't you come here to persuade me to cast you as the female lead? Show me your true abilities."

Su Wen was speechless. On the opposite rattan chair, the man waited leisurely.

Suwen pondered for a moment, then stood up. She picked up the cigarette case on the coffee table and gestured to him. Wei Liao's eyes gleamed slightly, and he nodded in acknowledgment. Suwen then skillfully took out a cigarette, held it between her fingers, and lit it with a whoosh.

The smoke flickered. Suwen leaned against the headboard, smoking.

His expression was forlorn, his posture languid. It was a long time before he finally moved his right hand away to flick off some cigarette ash.

The bed was a complete mess.

Defending the nation is everyone's responsibility. These passionate young students, who dared not even voice their innocent youthful sentiments, were already plotting a shocking assassination.

Her purity, her first time, paled in comparison to their grand plan.

The ash had accumulated for a long time, but she didn't move it. Finally, the last spark of the cigarette butt was extinguished in her eyes.

In the wisps of mist, she rose, her alluring figure brimming with untold stories and inexplicable sorrow. She drew back the curtains, the blinding sunlight momentarily blinding her, and her relaxed brows furrowed again.

Slowly, she revealed a worldly and charming smile, as if the innocent and simple Wang Jiazhi from her student days had died overnight.

"Stop—" Wei Liao's clicking sound of striking a lighter interrupted her acting, "You..."

He frowned, as if recalling something, and Suwen quickly replied, "Nie Suwen."

"Hmm," he nodded, still looking displeased, and stood up without saying a word before entering the changing room.

Su Wen was filled with unease. This was a scene she had been working on for a long time. There wasn't a single line of dialogue, but every line was conveyed through the female lead's face and actions, which was a great test of her acting skills.

"Go in and change." He came out and handed something to Suwen.

It was a bamboo-green cheongsam with an antique-style cut, adorned with scattered bamboo leaves. This color is extremely selective; if not worn well, it can easily look tacky.

Suwen, bewildered, took the cheongsam and went into the changing room.

The cheongsam's cut wasn't complicated, but every line—the chest, waist, and thighs—seemed tailor-made for her, tightly hugging her figure. Suwen had heard that the cheongsam was the most demanding garment for a woman's figure; too much and it would appear too voluptuous, too little and it wouldn't be able to support her curves. In addition, her skin was naturally good, and even without makeup, it was fair and clean, which was accentuated by the unusual color, making her appear as white as jade.

She returned to the outer room, where Wei Liao sat on the edge of the bed she had just been leaning against, scrutinizing her sharply and directly. His gaze was that of a man looking at a woman with raw, undisguised malice; Su Wen stood frozen, her palms sweating.

She awkwardly straightened the seam of her dress at the waist, and heard Wei Liao ask her, "Can you speak Shanghainese?"

"I can understand it, but I can only speak a little bit," Suwen answered honestly. "My hometown is in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang area, so the accent is quite similar."

Wei Liao nodded slightly upon hearing her reply: "I'm going to Shanghai next month, why don't you come with me?"

"..." Suwen's face showed a mixture of confusion and contradiction.

"Unwilling?" He raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes clearly showing provocation. "You female celebrities should be used to this by now, right? Whether you go or not is up to you. Just contact my assistant when the time comes."

He issued an ultimatum.

She arrived full of hope, only to leave disappointed. Ye Zi was still feeling dejected when she answered the phone.

"How did it go?" Ye Zi was very concerned about her interview. She wanted to keep the opportunity within the company and secure the role herself.

"..."

"what happened?"

Suwen took a breath, hesitated for a long time, and then told her the truth: "Director Wei wants me to go to Shanghai with him."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Ye Zi's incredulous question: "...Nie Suwen, you didn't really manage to win over Director Wei, did you?"

"Huh?" Suwen was a little confused.

"Director Wei is going to Shanghai next month to film the opening ceremony. It's been published in the newspapers. He asked you to go with him. He must have his eye on you!" Ye Zi's voice became excited.