"Hello, I'm Yu Youqing."
"Sorry, I'm not currently considering signing with another agency."
"Hi, yes—oh, for the next show? Sorry, I haven't planned that far ahead yet."
"You're suggesting I move to Lin Province first? I'm not thinking about that for now."
Yu Youqing put down her phone.
Looking back at everything that had happened over the past half-year, it all still felt surreal.
From being a no-name actress no one in the industry wanted to cast, to now ranking as the number one most popular actress in Lan Province. She was even getting calls from TV stations in other provinces asking if she'd be interested in their next drama.
She had to admit, her rise to fame likely had little to do with her talent or hard work—maybe not even 10%. The other 90%? All thanks to saying yes when Jing Yu asked her to star in 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday' as the female lead, Emi Fukuju.
Her journey to fame had now become a legend in Lan Province's entertainment circle. Some even jokingly called her "Heaven's Chosen Daughter."
Every acting major dreams of an overnight breakthrough. Yu Youqing had gotten lucky—picked up 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', a last-minute replacement project, and then went on to star in three consecutive shows by Jing Yu.
Her luck was unreal.
Of course, whenever Yu Youqing was mentioned, people would inevitably bring up Song Xin—the originally slated female lead for 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', now the textbook example of a career misstep and the butt of many jokes in Lan Province.
She used to be in the top ten of the province's actress popularity rankings, but after turning down 'My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday', she plummeted to somewhere beyond rank fifty.
And the worst part? Jing Yu, despite their breakup, had offered her a golden opportunity to revive her career. But not only did Song Xin turn it down, she even mocked him for it.
Now, looking at the stark contrast between Yu Youqing and Song Xin in both popularity and career standing, it had become one of Lan Province's biggest industry jokes.
After finishing up her morning calls, Yu Youqing opened her bedroom door. It was just after 7 AM. Her mother was still unpacking and sorting the fresh flowers delivered that morning. Yu Youqing walked over to help.
"I'm telling you, Xiao Qing, you're a big star now. When are you going to make time to come work the register at my flower shop? I bet flowers would sell like crazy with you there."
"Aren't my fans already swarming the place to buy flowers? Isn't that enough?" Yu Youqing shot her mom a side-eye.
"A good business never has too many customers! But let's talk about you—didn't that scriptwriter Jing Yu say you should invite him over more often when you have time? Why are you so dense about it?" her mom started nagging.
Yu Youqing couldn't take it and quickly slipped out the door.
After filming three series with Jing Yu, she'd managed to save up enough to buy herself a decent mid-range car for daily commuting. Driving through the streets of Lan City, the early morning was full of commuters rushing to work.
As she neared the studio, Yu Youqing spotted a familiar figure by the roadside—along with the familiar motorcycle parked nearby.
After thinking for a second, she pulled her car into the nearby underground lot.
"Boss, give me five buns—one pork, one three-flavor, one sweet, one beef, one with vermicelli. And two soy milks—no sugar."
"You'll have to wait a bit, young man. This batch still needs five more minutes to steam properly."
"Alright then. Please make it as fast as you can."
Jing Yu preferred riding his motorcycle to the set. In the cool morning summer air, dressed in all black with a matching black helmet, cruising along the wide streets, it gave him that same feeling he imagined Batman had riding his slick bike in another life.
The breakfast stall owner eyed the young man on his motorcycle. He looked familiar. He was clearly not a kid, despite the youthful face—his outfit was mature and stylish.
"It's you! That scumbag Haruki!"
The stall owner's daughter, on her way to school with a backpack slung over her shoulders, suddenly exclaimed when she saw him.
Jing Yu's expression turned awkward. This kind of thing had been happening way too often lately.
The girl looked at him with a mix of curiosity and suspicion—then, after a few seconds, a hint of shyness.
Sure, Haruki was a total scumbag in the story—but Jing Yu was undeniably handsome. His physical features were already genetically blessed, and ever since he'd reincarnated into this body, he'd kept up regular workouts, despite being a game-loving adult man. Not only was his appearance on point, but he carried a strong and energetic aura.
The girl was in a hurry, though. After snapping a couple of photos with her phone and sneaking a few more glances, she dashed off toward a nearby high school.
"Morning, boss. One flower roll and a sweet soy milk, please. Extra sugar."
A familiar female voice sounded right beside him.
Turning his head, Jing Yu saw a beautiful young woman in high heels and a light green floral dress, bathed in the soft morning sunlight.
What a coincidence.
"Morning, Teacher Jing," Yu Youqing greeted with a bright smile.
"Morning." Jing Yu accepted his breakfast and handed money to the vendor.
"I've got this one," she said, paying for both.
By the roadside, the two of them squatted near a utility pole, munching on breakfast.
As always, Jing Yu chatted nonstop.
Whenever he was with her or Xia Yining, he loved to discuss the deeper plotlines and character psychology of 'White Album 2'.
The source game had an enormous amount of text, and adapting it into a drama meant cutting a lot out. So for the actors to truly grasp the characters' inner worlds and emotional states, they had to go beyond the script. Jing Yu would often take time to explain things personally.
"You know today's scenes, right? The storyline's shifted—we're now in the college setting. For the next long stretch, Xia Yining won't have any scenes. Your character, Setsuna, will be the absolute and only female lead during these six weeks of the plot."
"Got it," Yu Youqing replied, grinning as she looked at him.
"Honestly, Setsuna is the hardest character to portray in this drama. Kazusa's easy—she's completely devoted to Haruki from start to finish. Haruki himself is simpler: his two rules are, number one, his favorite person in the world is Touma Kazusa; number two, his second favorite is Setsuna. Everyone else is just background to him. But Setsuna's inner world..."
Jing Yu suddenly paused mid-sentence.
Something felt off.
Why was Yu Youqing staring at him like that? Her eyes were unfocused, totally spacing out.
"Uh... is there something on my face? You're staring pretty hard," Jing Yu asked, his tone a little exasperated.
He immediately felt a wave of déjà vu—his middle school homeroom teacher used to scold him in that exact tone.
"Ah—um... there's some bun skin stuck to your face," Yu Youqing replied nervously.
Jing Yu touched his face. Nothing there.
She'd clearly been zoning out and had interrupted his flow. A little irritated, he sighed and continued seriously.
"You have to pay attention when I talk. If you don't know, I'll just have to explain everything again during shooting."
"Think about it—if you waste five minutes, the whole crew is held up. That's dozens of people whose time gets wasted. Five minutes multiplied by all that—do you know how much that costs?"
Rough estimate? A hundred million!
At that point, Jing Yu wisely stopped himself. Even he thought he was starting to sound way too naggy—it was getting on his own nerves.