Ye Qianqian's body stiffened, and she subconsciously loosened her grip on Sun Yiling's hands.
"I don't dislike her," she said quickly, denying it. "I'm just… too shocked."
Sun Yiling gave her a complicated look but finally reminded her, "Don't worry. As long as you keep working hard, you'll be noticed."
Ye Qianqian forced a smile, unable to openly express her jealousy. "I understand," she said.
Sun Yiling wanted to say more, but seeing her reaction, he sighed and left.
Once he was gone, Ye Qianqian's face fell. If there was anyone she hated right now, it was An Ting.
Even before Ye Qianqian received the "Admiration Buff," An Ting had been a celebrity in her major; upperclassmen frequently praised her. Later, Ye Qianqian learned that An Ting's family had once been wealthy—she would never have suffered hardship if her parents' company hadn't failed, leaving the family cramped in a tiny apartment.
Ye Qianqian always felt a sense of injustice. She should have been the one envied by her classmates, not An Ting.
Then there was Song Qian. Initially, Ye Qianqian had been impressed by his generosity and extravagance. But when he started dating An Ting, everything changed. An Ting was notoriously poor in the art academy. If someone like her could win over Song Qian, why couldn't Ye Qianqian?
This mindset had given birth to the "Admiration Buff," which gradually absorbed An Ting's talent. Her first targets had been Song Qian, then Sun Yiling. Everything went smoothly—at first.
Then the unexpected happened. Despite all the buffs, Song Qian remained devoted to An Ting, Sun Yiling admired her greatly, and even Xing Tang—the director she had just met that day—specifically asked An Ting for help.
Ye Qianqian couldn't allow anyone better than her or anyone imitating her to exist. With the "Admiration Buff," she wanted all attention for herself.
Fueled by jealousy and anger, Ye Qianqian's afternoon of filming went horribly.
Xiao Gong sighed beside the cameraman, patting his shoulder. "This is already pretty good. She's just a student; not much experience is normal. Don't take it too seriously—the boss isn't being unreasonable."
The cameraman frowned at the footage. "I thought she acted well. Looked good on camera, had presence, expressive eyes… how did they even pick her?"
Xiao Gong stroked his chin. "Schools are like a mini-society. If you really like her, ask the screenwriter to add a cameo."
The cameraman brightened. "We could try that."
He approached the screenwriter. "Can we add a character and a scene?"
The screenwriter glared. "Are you out of your mind? Don't you have enough work? All you've learned from commercial dramas is how sponsors shove actresses into shows."
The cameraman blinked. "Can you not bring that up? Halfway through my last drama, the production team replaced the female lead—I had to reshoot everything. Can't we just add a scene?"
The screenwriter stared blankly. "No inspiration."
At that moment, Xing Tang strolled back, sitting beside the screenwriter. Stroking his chin, he glanced at An Ting in the distance. "We can add some scenes to the promotional video."
The screenwriter immediately grabbed a pen. "Just tell me what you want, boss. I can write anything."
Xing Tang nodded slowly. "Add a shot at the end. Have that little girl over there hold a DSLR at the highest point on campus. She'll be the recorder of this story, documenting everything. Then a close-up after she sets the camera down—that's enough."
The screenwriter jotted down keywords and nodded. "Got it, boss. It'll fit perfectly."
After finalizing a few details, Xing Tang left satisfied.
The cameraman stared at the screenwriter, who twirled his pen with a faint smile. "People have to make a living, after all."
Xing Tang didn't stay on set to micromanage. After repeated failed attempts to guide Ye Qianqian, he let the filming continue as scheduled. He only returned when the promotional video was almost complete—for An Ting's final shot.
An Ting had cut her hair short to fit the storyline. Her face suited short hair perfectly, and coupled with simple, casual clothing, she exuded a lazy, unrestrained charm.
Xiao Gong handled her makeup under Xing Tang's instruction. Even just standing in front of the camera, she captivated the room.
At the school's corner, An Ting snapped a photo of the campus with her DSLR, then set the camera down, revealing her full face. A gentle breeze blew her hair, some strands lifted, some falling gracefully over her face. She looked at the photos, smiled softly, and the curve of her lips lingered in everyone's memory.
"Card!"
As soon as the camera turned off, An Ting jumped. "My God, my scalp is about to blow away!"
Xing Tang watched the footage, satisfaction written across his face.
Li Qin, observing from the sidelines, tugged at An Ting's sleeve. "Tingting! You were so beautiful just now—so pretty in front of the camera!"
She praised An Ting from every angle, then glanced at Ye Qianqian's dark expression, grinning. "She completely crushes that trash!"
An Ting noticed Ye Qianqian staring daggers at her, but she quickly looked away.
The studio packed up, and the boss treated everyone to a meal in a private room.
Li Qin tried to drag An Ting toward the hot pot table, but Xing Tang stopped her. "Come along. Get to know your future colleague."
Before An Ting could respond, Li Qin nudged her toward Xing Tang. "Go! I'll eat with the production students. Don't worry."
An Ting followed Xing Tang and saw Sun Yiling leaving with Ye Qianqian and the rest of the group.
Ye Qianqian's face soured when she saw An Ting but quickly masked it with a provocative look.
An Ting noticed Sun Yiling driving a four-ring Audi—less flashy than Song Qian's sports car but still impressive among students.
Sun Yiling parked next to Ye Qianqian. A hint of smugness flashed in her eyes as she allowed him to open the passenger door and bent gracefully to get in.
For the first time, An Ting felt a twinge of jealousy—not at Song Qian, nor Sun Yiling, nor Xing Tang, but at Ye Qianqian's audacity.
Xing Tang glanced down at her. "What are you looking at?"
An Ting pouted. "You know what? Last time the station director drove me to the TV station, he rode an electric scooter. I thought he was being modest, but halfway there he almost threw me off, saying men and women shouldn't touch. I thought he was upright… I never expected—"
She covered her mouth and feigned tears, praising her own charm.
In her past life, it took her years before she could afford a car. Now, kids had Audis before graduating.
Xing Tang gave her a disdainful look. "Is that all the ambition you have?"
An Ting blinked in confusion.
Xing Tang drove into the school garage, pulled out a Maybach, and rolled down the window as he approached her. "Get in."
Then he added, "Oh, you can open the car door yourself."