Chapter 4 The Widow (4)
Shi Long flatly refused without hesitation, "I'm not going!"
He pouted, "Even if I starve to death, I won't become a stand-in!"
Just as he finished speaking, he heard a prompt sound, "Drip": Congratulations, the player has triggered a personal mission!
Personal Mission: Increase the player's fame and the current audience's favorability. If both fame and favorability reach S-level, an extra draw opportunity will be added during the clearance settlement.
Current Fame: E-level (lowest level)
Current Audience Favorability: E-level (lowest level)
Shi Long: "..."
Shi Long was speechless, "Why is my personal mission to collect audience favorability? What does this have to do with a horror game?"
System:[ An excellent horror work should not only have horror elements, but also be diverse, inclusive, and visually appealing. Art and aesthetics are two important criteria for judgment. As a player in the infinite world, you not only need to clear the game, but also maintain the artistic nature of the game.]
"...Huh?" Shi Long dumbly opened his mouth.
The system's words were too official, and he didn't understand.
However, it sounded reasonable.
"...You're right." Shi Long's eyebrows relaxed, and he nodded seriously, agreeing with what the system said. "This is art...yes, for art!"
System:[ ... ]
Fortunately, his host was foolish.
Because all those words were made up by him.
The next day, Shi Long arrived at the audition location.
In a studio in the suburbs of City A, busy crew members were preparing for today's shooting materials.
Today, one or two big shots were about to arrive. One was Mr. Ling Yan, the chief perfumer of the Lai'er Group, who was known for having a "devil-like sense of smell" and had created countless captivating perfumes. The other was the famous star, Lu Zhifeng.
The two would cooperate to shoot a promotional advertisement for the new perfume launched by Lai'er Group.
Shi Long peeked his head around in the studio, and a tall lady in professional attire walked up to him.
"Are you Shi Long?" she said professionally, "Here for the stand-in audition?"
She spoke in an official tone, without lowering her voice. The busy staff in the studio instantly focused their attention on Shi Long.
Shi Long's face turned red with a "swish," and he nervously replied, "Yes..."
The lady nodded, "Hello, I'm Mr. Ling Yan's assistant. My surname is Xu. Follow me. Mr. Ling Yan wants to see if you're qualified. If you pass, we can start shooting this afternoon."
Assistant Xu seemed very busy and didn't give Shi Long any time to hesitate. After speaking, she turned around and walked away. Shi Long quickly followed.
After they left, discussions broke out among the people around.
A young man from the prop team craned his neck to look in the direction Shi Long had left, "Is this the little actor who came to audition for the stand-in? Look at his face, his waist, and his legs, tsk tsk, no wonder he's in this line of work, he's enticing."
An older staff member with experience chimed in, "After all, the main actor in this advertisement is Lu Zhifeng. The stand-in can't be inferior either."
"But why do I feel like this little stand-in seems even better-looking than Lu Zhifeng...?"
Another girl from the prop team agreed, "I feel the same way."
The old staff member hurriedly interrupted their conversation, "Shh, don't you know Lu Zhifeng's temperament? If he hears this, you won't be able to work in this industry the next day!"
The young man was not afraid and said defiantly, "So what if he's a big star? Can he blacklist me from the entire industry?"
The older staff member remained calm, "His identity as a star is secondary. Do you know who his uncle is?"
He gave them a hint, "His surname is Lu."
"Lu..." The young man thought for a moment and exclaimed in surprise, "Is it the same Lu as Lu Ran?"
"That's right, Lu Zhifeng is Lu Ran's nephew. Otherwise, why do you think he has such resources just a few years after his debut? It's because he's backed by the Lu family. He can command the wind and rain!" the old staff member explained.
The young man fell silent.
The old staff member shook his head, "Mr. Ling's new fragrance is exquisite in scent and is designed to showcase the beauty of the human body. There will be some revealing shots in the advertisement. But this arrogant Lu Zhifeng refuses to reveal anything on camera. They reached a stalemate, so they thought of using a stand-in."
The senior employee glanced in the direction where Shi Long had disappeared. "Mr. Ling has high expectations. He was already frustrated because of Lu Zhifeng, so I hope this little stand-in can satisfy him."
In the fragrance studio.
The room was furnished with a long table, and behind it stood a large cabinet filled with different categorized fragrance bases.
Ling Yan sat at the table, currently testing the fragrances.
Ling Yan had a quarter of French heritage, which made him slightly taller, exceeding 1.9 meters. His hair was slightly wavy, his face as deep and handsome as a marble statue, and he had long and thick eyelashes. His irises were lighter than usual.
The perfume comes in a rectangular glass bottle, with a deep red color that resembles a flowing ruby under the light. The top notes include geranium, rose, and raspberry, while the base notes consist of vetiver, amber, and sage..
This is his latest concoction, which received immense praise during the internal review at Lai'er Group. The company immediately decided to make this fragrance the flagship scent for the next quarter and to shoot a promotional film for it.
The only problem is that Ling Yan hasn't come up with a suitable name for the perfume yet.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, and Ling Yan said, "Come in."
Assistant Xu walked into the office and said, "Mr. Ling, the stand-in actor has arrived."
Ling Yan set the fragrance base aside and frowned unhappily, "If Lu Zhifeng doesn't want to act, then replace him with someone else. Why use a stand-in?"
Ling Yan lowered his gaze, casting a shadow with his long eyelashes on his lower eyelids. "Those vulgar louts won't be able to capture the essence of this fragrance."
Assistant Xu asked, "What kind of feeling do you want to convey?"
Ling Yan pondered for a moment and replied, "I want the kind of person who has had seven dead husbands but still has an eighth man waiting to shower him with affection. At just a glance fro.m him, all men are willing to abandon everything just to kiss his fingertips."
"Although he is enticing, he must not be vulgar. He is pure and innocent. He is a pure angel, and it's not his fault that men can't resist temptation."
Ling Yan added, "Do you understand?"
Assistant Xu remained silent.
"I don't understand," he finally said. "Is this description based on a real person or just a muse in your mind? Artists should not be involved in commercial advertisements. Thank you."
Assistant Xu sighed helplessly, "Your requirements are too abstract, and I can't find a suitable candidate at the moment. The stand-in is waiting outside the room. Should we let him in for you to see?"
"Fine," Ling Yan said, crossing his arms and leaning back. "Since he's here, let's meet him."
Assistant Xu walked back and opened the door, slowly revealing the person outside, like a slow-motion scene.
Ling Yan's actions abruptly came to a halt as he glanced up. His heart seemed to stop beating.
As if struck by lightning, Ling Yan instantly knew what name would suit this exquisite and captivating fragrance.
"Rose Stars."
His appearance is more delicate than a rose;
His eyes are more dazzling than the stars.
But neither roses nor stars can compare to his exquisite beauty.
The young man blinked his eyes, which were a pale and translucent amber color, innocent and confused, with a hint of worldly naivety. He softly said, "Hello, Mr. Ling. I am Shi Long, the stand-in actor for the role of Luo."
When he mentioned the term "stand-in," he felt a bit embarrassed and slightly lowered his head.
A flicker of emotion passed through Ling Yan's brow, and he threw the perfume he was holding onto the table. He opened a drawer and took out a pair of white gloves, putting them on his hands.
The gloves fit perfectly against Ling Yan's distinct knuckles, making his fingers appear even more slender.
Ling Yan stood up calmly, walked over to Shi Long, and said seriously, "Hello, please have a seat. Because you will be appearing on camera, I need to conduct an interview. Is that alright?"
Ling Yan reassured him, "It will be a simple interview with some basic questions."
Shi Long nodded, "Sure."
Ling Yan instructed Shi Long to sit on the couch while he half squatted in front of him, their heights allowing them to make eye contact.
Ling Yan asked, "How old are you?"
Shi Long replied, "Nineteen."
Ling Yan smiled subtly, "Hmm, not bad, you're an adult."
As the chief perfumer, Ling Yan's sense of smell is several times more sensitive than that of an ordinary person.
When he got close to Shi Long, he smelled a fragrance.
Ling Yan buried his face in Shi Long's neck and deeply inhaled, as if he was sniffing a cat: "Wow, it smells so good! What perfume are you wearing?"
Shi Long, feeling ticklish from his breath, moved back: "I'm not wearing any perfume."
"Then it must be your natural scent?" Ling Yan took another sniff and reluctantly left his fair neck.
"If I could turn your natural scent into a perfume, it would definitely be the best-selling one in the world."
Shi Long had never been praised like this before and replied dazedly, "Th-thank you."
9617: [.]
This fool is being flirted with and still thanks him.
Ling Yan chuckled softly, his gaze lowered and fell on Shi Long's hand.
Those hands were as fair as jade, making people want to hold them and play with them carefully. So Ling Yan followed his heart and did just that.
Ling Yan was tall with big hands that completely enveloped Shi Long's hand.
With his gloved hand, he pulled Shi Long's hand into his palm, like kneading dough, and touched every inch of it.
From the slender and fair fingertips to the smooth and soft palm, there was a hint of a smile on his lips. "Your palm and fingertips are pink." He gently rolled up the sleeves of the young man, revealing his white forearms. "Mmm, your arms are so fair, and even your elbows are pink."
Shi Long was like a glass of wine, making one want more with just a taste.
Ling Yan took a deep breath, stood up, and looked down at the little beauty who was so close. "May I see other parts of you?"
Ling Yan asked politely and respectfully, "I am really curious, is your whole body only pink and white?"