216: Chapter 215 The Jade Rabbit Spirit's Midnight "Audition"

Jiang Fan sat in his swivel chair, pushing aside the distracting thoughts in his mind.

There was no point in overthinking; he needed to get the script written first.

He placed his hands on the keyboard and his fingers began to tap. A line of text appeared on the screen.

He wrote until noon, when there were two knocks at the office door.

Jiang Fan stopped typing and unlocked the office door.

Li Cheng pushed the door open, holding a tablet computer, and walked to the desk.

"Brother Cheng, Times Media sent over a shortlist of candidates for The Monkey King. President Su asked you to take a look."

Jiang Fan took the tablet and swiped across the screen.

There were several professionally retouched photos of male celebrities.

Below them were their follower counts, historical period dramas they had participated in, and their Weibo Super Topic rankings.

The men in the photos all had thick layers of foundation, eyeliner drawn longer than a woman's, and were posing in various attempts to look cool.

Jiang Fan tossed the tablet back onto the desk.

"Send them all back," Jiang Fan said, leaning back in his chair. "Tell them they don't need to find someone for the role of The Monkey King. I already have someone in mind."

"Go and check something for me," Jiang Fan said, tapping his fingers on the desk. "See if there are still any authentic successors of Monkey Opera left in the country. It's best if they have a family lineage."

Li Cheng was stunned for a moment.

Monkey Opera?

Wasn't that something nobody watched anymore?

But he didn't say anything extra and nodded in agreement.

"I'll go inquire about it this afternoon."

Li Cheng turned and left, returning to his own office to make a call.

"Hello, Old Zhou. Help me look into something. Who is the most authentic practitioner of Monkey Opera in the country? I need someone with an ancestral lineage."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line, and then a laugh.

"Brother Cheng, Monkey Opera? Who watches that nowadays?"

"Just tell me if there is one or not."

"Well, there is one. Go to the South City of the capital and ask around. There's a Hou Family Troupe, whose ancestors were Monkey Opera performers for the Qing Dynasty imperial court. The current successor is called Hou Jinlai."

"But this guy has a terrible temper," the person on the other end added. "A few years ago, a big director tried to get him to make a movie, but he thought the script was an insult to art and cursed the director out of the place."

Li Cheng frowned. "Do you have his contact information?"

"I'll ask someone and send it to your WeChat later. But I advise you not to get your hopes up too high."

—

The sky outside the window turned dark, and the sound of keyboard typing still echoed in Jiang Fan's office.

His phone vibrated on the desk.

Jiang Fan stopped, picked it up, and took a look.

It was a WeChat message from Shen Nian.

"I'm off tomorrow. Are you coming back to the apartment tonight?"

Jiang Fan looked at the screen.

Ever since Shen Nian won the championship of The Sound of Nature, her schedule had been packed, and the two of them hadn't seen each other for nearly ten days.

"Wait for me," Jiang Fan typed in reply.

He put the phone down and continued writing for a while.

It wasn't until midnight that he saved the document, closed the computer, picked up the jacket from the back of his chair, and headed out.

—

Shen Nian's apartment.

Jiang Fan entered the passcode and pushed the door open.

The living room TV was on, with the volume turned very low.

Shen Nian was curled up in the corner of the sofa, wearing a pink silk camisole nightdress.

Her two fair legs were crossed, and her hair was casually pinned up at the back of her head, with a few stray strands falling onto her collarbone.

Hearing the door, she turned her head to look.

"Why are you only just getting back now?"

Jiang Fan closed the door, changed his shoes, and walked over to sit on the sofa.

"I was writing the script until now."

Shen Nian leaned over and sniffed at the collar of his shirt.

Jiang Fan reached out, pinched her chin, and lifted her face up.

"Are you part dog?"

Shen Nian swatted his hand away and took the opportunity to lean against his shoulder.

"I just finished recording a variety show today, I'm exhausted."

Jiang Fan rested his hand on her lower back, the warmth seeping through the silk fabric.

"If you're tired, take a few days off. Don't just take every job that comes your way," Jiang Fan's fingers traced along her spine.

Shen Nian wiggled her body, finding a comfortable position.

"I'm just trying to make more money while my popularity is high."

She paused and looked up at him.

"Also, I saw the trending topic about Su Yuyan playing the White Bone Demon in the journey to the west TV series," Shen Nian tilted her head to look at Jiang Fan. "What about me? You can't forget me!"

"Why are you trying to join in on the fun?" Jiang Fan's hand didn't stop, sliding down along her waistline.

Shen Nian grabbed his hand.

"I don't care, I want a role," Shen Nian was very stubborn.

Jiang Fan grabbed her wrist in return and pulled her entirely into his arms.

"You haven't studied acting. You'll just get scolded if you go."

"I can learn," Shen Nian straddled Jiang Fan's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The pink strap slipped to one side, revealing a rounded shoulder.

Jiang Fan looked at the face so close to his own.

After Shen Nian won the championship, her self-confidence had grown, and she dared to make demands of him.

Jiang Fan needed her to maintain this upward drive.

"What do you want to play?"

Shen Nian thought for a moment.

"The Jade Rabbit Spirit. I've read your novel. That character can sing and dance. I can play her."

Jiang Fan ran it through his mind.

The Jade Rabbit Spirit had a classic song and dance sequence in the show.

Shen Nian had a dance background, and singing was her specialty; the role was actually quite fitting.

"Fine, but the role isn't just given away for free," Jiang Fan said, cupping her back with his palm.

Shen Nian bit her lip.

"I know."

She lowered her head and unbuttoned the first button of Jiang Fan's shirt.

Jiang Fan leaned back on the sofa, letting her do as she pleased.

Shen Nian unbuttoned his shirt completely, her palms pressing against his chest as they traveled downward.

The black fabric of his trousers was slowly pulled down by her and tossed onto the carpet.

Shen Nian closed her eyes, steadying herself.

After only half an hour, Shen Nian let out a cry, her body going limp.

Jiang Fan couldn't pull away in time and got water stains all over himself.

He grabbed a tissue and wiped it off. "With your stamina, you still want to act?"

Shen Nian didn't even have the strength to retort, lying on the edge of the sofa gasping for air.

Jiang Fan scooped her up, hoisted her onto his shoulder, and walked toward the bedroom.

"You... put me down, can't you let me recover..."

"Recover from what? The Jade Rabbit Spirit scene has a three-minute dance; your stamina needs to be up to par."

"Jiang Fan, you—"

The bedroom door closed.

—

Two hours later.

The room fell quiet.

Shen Nian lay on the bed, her face buried in the pillow, covered in sweat.

Her pink nightdress had long since been tossed away somewhere.

The system panel popped up at the edge of his vision.

[Deep Compatibility × 2, Lifespan Value + 2000]

[Current Lifespan Value: 86800 points]

Jiang Fan glanced at the number and closed the panel.

Shen Nian rolled over and rested her head on his chest.

"The Jade Rabbit Spirit... is she mine now?" Her voice was hoarse.

"I'll give you the script later. Find an acting teacher yourself and practice. You'll have to pass the director's test on your own when the time comes."

Shen Nian smiled and kissed his abdominal muscle.

"I knew you were the best to me."