Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Art of Bargaining

“You’re acting in this production?” Chen Fang was a bit taken aback.

That shouldn’t be possible!

Earlier, in the car, Xi Yuanyuan had specifically said the cast was still being decided, and the list of actors hadn’t been finalized yet.

Su Murou grew more and more excited as she looked at the script. Even though she hadn’t seen the whole script for this show, she’d heard some news, and the script Chen Fang received in his email matched perfectly with what she knew.

Which meant—

The script was real.

“How did you get this script?” Su Murou leaned in close to Chen Fang, her body pressed tightly against his.

Her sudden movement caused her pajamas to slip, revealing the lace strap beneath.

She’d exposed herself!

Chen Fang wanted to remind her, but he suspected if he did, she’d just call him a pervert again, so he kept quiet.

He took his phone back, eyes returning to the screen, and answered softly, “I know the director. Is there a problem?”

He was telling the truth. Chen Fang did know Xi Dong.

And, in fact, they’d had a very pleasant meal together not long ago.

Su Murou, though, naturally didn’t believe him. As far as she knew, the director of “Three Lives, Three Worlds” was Xi Dong—a top-three director in the entire country. How could a newcomer like Chen Fang possibly know someone so influential?

Chen Fang couldn’t be bothered to explain.

Su Murou’s eyes darted, lost in her own thoughts.

When Chen Fang finished reading the script quietly, he closed his eyes, deep in thought.

Seeing this, Su Murou leaned in, face close to his. “Chen Fang, do you really know Director Xi Dong?”

Chen Fang didn’t reply. He was thinking about the theme song.

After reading the script, he had a rough idea. That song was perfect!

The problem was, he couldn’t recall all the lyrics—just the general melody.

After all, he didn’t usually watch these kinds of dramas. The only reason he remembered the song was because he’d once heard it performed live at a music festival back on Earth.

“Chen Fang!”

“Say something!” Su Murou lost patience and shook him.

Chen Fang reluctantly opened his eyes and glanced at her. “Your bra strap is showing.”

“Ah!” Su Murou hurriedly pulled her clothes up.

Ji Mei, who was still in the kitchen, walked out, puzzled. “What’s going on?”

Before Chen Fang could answer, Su Murou pointed at him and launched into a rapid-fire complaint: “Chen Fang was peeking at my chest! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, he would’ve seen everything. Bo Niu, you need to keep him in line, or he’ll definitely be chasing girls all over town in the future!”

Chen Fang: ?

Ji Mei could only shake her head.

Chen Fang couldn’t help but laugh. “With your chest, even with three layers of padding, you’re still not half as big as my Ji Mei. Why would I want to look at you?”

Su Murou was furious.

Small as her chest might be, hearing Chen Fang say it out loud made it especially infuriating.

“Bo Niu! Either he leaves today, or I do!” Su Murou stood up.

In the next instant, her pajamas slipped off completely.

Now, not only did Chen Fang see everything, but Ji Mei, holding a spatula, was left stunned as well.

For a moment, the living room fell silent.

Feeling a chill, Su Murou looked down, and the room exploded with her shrill scream.

Click, click, click—

Without even putting on shoes, she dashed back to the bedroom.

Ji Mei shook her head at the sight.

Chen Fang shrugged helplessly at her.

Ji Mei was unbothered. Now that she wasn’t working, her old anxiety had vanished without a trace, and she seemed much gentler, her voice soft and warm. “Chen Fang, just give her some slack. She’s still a child at heart.”

Yes…

She really hadn’t grown up.

Chen Fang nodded in agreement.

Even with three layers of padding, she wasn’t half as big as Ji Mei—she was still just a kid!

Turning to Ji Mei, Chen Fang asked, “Honey, is your best friend also an actress?”

The word “honey” brought a smile to Ji Mei’s face.

She replied, “Yes, she used to be an actress in Shanghai circles, but lately, she hasn’t been doing well there, so she came to Beijing to try her luck in film and TV.”

If she couldn’t make it in Shanghai, why try her luck in Beijing?

Things were even tougher here.

Unless something unexpected happened, there was no way Su Murou would land any significant roles.

Unless…

She was willing to sell her body.

When Su Murou claimed she’d be acting in “Three Lives, Three Worlds,” Chen Fang didn’t believe it for a second. Compared to her, he trusted Xi Yuanyuan’s information much more—after all, Xi Dong was her father, and her news would be far more accurate than any rumors outside.

Su Murou had no chance in “Three Lives, Three Worlds.” Even if she did sell her body, the odds were slim. After all, the director was Xi Dong.

Thinking of this, Chen Fang almost felt sorry for Su Murou.

But the feeling lasted only a moment before it disappeared. There were plenty of actors more pitiful than Su Murou—if Chen Fang spent every day lamenting their fate, life would be unbearably exhausting.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” Ji Mei called from the kitchen.

Before long, the bedroom door opened.

Su Murou had changed clothes, covering herself up completely, and returned to the sofa.

Chen Fang closed his eyes to rest.

In reality, he was communicating with his system.

“My dear system, how much would it cost to buy the song ‘Cool and Cold’?”

“One hundred million.”

“Screw you!”

“Mind your manners!”

“…”

This damned system, so inhuman.

Wait—of course, it wasn’t human to begin with.

Thinking this, Chen Fang felt even worse.

He forced himself to remain calm and tried again: “System, how can this song cost a hundred million? That’s outrageous. Come on, you know I’m a loyal customer. Always throwing around numbers like that—it puts a strain on our relationship.”

The system sneered. “Host, did you forget something?”

“What?”

“You still owe me twenty million.”

Chen Fang was silent.

Damn! He’d forgotten about that.

He really did still owe the system twenty million. During the seven days on Yunmeng Island, he’d bought two songs from the system. After much persuading, he managed to get the price down to ten million per song, but at the time, he didn’t have the money. After a whole day and night of pleading, the system had finally agreed to let him buy on credit.

The system had been so exasperated, it even cursed: “You penniless host, I must have the worst luck in eight lifetimes to end up with you.”

Of course, buying on credit had its price—all the loot boxes he opened during those seven days contained nothing but junk.

“You see, I’m not refusing to pay, but you keep bringing up the twenty million—it’s not good for our relationship,” Chen Fang tried to play the sympathy card.

“Then pay up,” the system replied.

Chen Fang fell silent.

Cheapskate!

He muttered inwardly.

But the next moment, he put on a gentle, friendly smile. “Dear system, let’s keep that twenty million on hold. Once my song royalties come in next month, I’ll pay you back for sure. How about this: I’ve got eight million in my account right now. Take that, and sell me ‘Cool and Cold.’”

He’d originally had more than nine million, but had recently spent over a million buying Ji Mei a diamond necklace.

Now, there was only eight million left.

The system admired his shamelessness. “You bargain harder than the ladies at the market.”

Even the most ruthless haggler would only cut a ten-dollar item down to five. But Chen Fang? He was trying to pay a tenth of the price.