35: I don't like this mission in Chapter 35.

The next day at noon, Lin Chuyan set off for his teacher Li Mujian's home.

The teacher was getting on in years and had given up smoking and drinking, so Lin Chuyan just brought some fruit when he visited.

He showed off his cooking skills by making a dish during lunch, and after eating, he insisted on washing the dishes.

Afterward, Li Mujian took him for a walk around the village. On the way, they ran into some old men and women sunbathing and chatting. Li Mujian was very familiar with them and even instructed Lin Chuyan to greet them.

"Teacher Li, who is this young man? He's quite handsome."

"Xiao Yan, my apprentice. He's an actor just like me, but he's even more impressive—he's also a Singer."

His teacher really knew how to brag.

Lin Chuyan had just told his teacher about his plans to record a song and release an album, and the next moment, the teacher was already boasting to outsiders that he was a Singer, which made him feel quite embarrassed.

"Oh my, a Singer? What kind of songs do you sing?"

Lin Chuyan had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer, "Just some pop songs. You probably haven't heard of them, Grandma."

"That's alright. Why don't you sing one?"

"Sing one, sing one."

Lin Chuyan felt his scalp tingle and turned to his teacher for help, but to his surprise, Li Mujian joined in the teasing: "Go ahead and sing one. Aren't you about to record a song anyway? Consider this a rehearsal."

As he spoke, he pulled out his phone, ready to record a video.

"..."

Lin Chuyan felt as if he had returned to his childhood, inexplicably pushed out to perform for the adults.

So, he sang an a cappella version of "lonely season"...

Once the song finished.

He received scattered applause...

"Didn't quite get it."

"Never heard this song before; it was lacking something."

"It's a bit like 'Jasmine Flower,' but not as good."

Lin Chuyan felt his face twitch, but fortunately, Li Mujian finally took mercy on him and led him away.

As they walked, he suddenly asked him a question.

"When I was filming in the past, I met many young people like you. Many were even younger than you, getting roles and starting to act in their freshman or sophomore year of college. To play many roles well, an actor needs experience and life perspective. And a lack of life perspective happens to be the biggest problem for young people. They know this themselves, yet they complain that it's not their fault. Tell me, how can one help them solve this problem?"

Lin Chuyan thought for a moment: "If you lack life perspective, make up for it with talent? If you don't have talent, then I don't know."

Li Mujian shook his head: "Where would one find so many talented actors? As for life perspective... take your senior fellow apprentice, Wen Tang. He didn't enter the industry until he was in his thirties. He was a tour guide before and had encountered all kinds of people, so he could handle any role with ease. That was his advantage. What about you?"

Before Lin Chuyan could answer, he continued.

"Remember this: life perspective can be created, and curiosity can help you create it. Just like your Singing earlier; it might have just been an awkward experience, but for an actor, it's a treasure—you know how to act out awkwardness now, don't you? If you are willing to get to know those old people deeply, go to their homes and chat with them, you will find that is another treasure."

Lin Chuyan nodded, silently taking it to heart.

He stayed at his teacher's house for a long time, and during dinner, he heard some big news—his teacher might be returning to Acting.

Li Mujian had retired from Acting a few years ago due to health reasons. Now that news of his improved health had spread, scripts were immediately being sent his way.

Li Mujian wasn't in a rush. He had already played the roles he needed to play and won all the awards he needed to win. He wouldn't casually accept roles he wasn't interested in or work with unreliable teams, but he did indeed have the thought of returning.

Lin Chuyan was very happy for him. His teacher's wife had always been active on the stage of drama, and it was clear his teacher was bored stiff at home. It was time to give the film industry a little shock.

Back home.

The first thing he did was share the video of his Singing that Li Mujian had taken today with Ruan Xingyu, and he soon received praise from the superstar.

Xingxing: "Your pitch is really, really, really good!"

Lin: "Likewise."

One could only say that the Singing Ability points added by the system were truly different.

Xingxing: "Seriously, better than mine."

Lin: "I'm sweating here, big sister."

Lin Chuyan didn't mind calling her big sister, just as Ruan Xingyu sometimes called him big brother; it was a tacit little flirtation between them, perhaps?

Xingxing: "You've got such a sweet mouth?"

Lin: "I'll call you that today, but not tomorrow."

Xingxing: "Planning so thoroughly? You even thought of that!"

Lin: "No, I'm very nervous."

Xingxing: "Really?"

Lin: "Of course it's true."

Xingxing: "Alright, actually I am too."

Lin Chuyan actually couldn't quite figure out their relationship. Do normal friends get nervous before meeting? Do they chat like this every day?

To be honest, it felt like meeting up after an online romance.

This counts as flirting, right?

He just didn't know if Ruan Xingyu felt the same way.

The next day arrived quickly. The two of them tacitly did not chat during the day. He didn't know what Ruan Xingyu was thinking, but he himself was truly a bit bewildered by the system.

Ding! The system's voice suddenly rang out.

[New Task Triggered: Hold Hands]

[Task Requirement: Hold hands with Ruan Xingyu (As an idol artist, gaining more traffic is the host's primary goal. By dating a superstar, the host can achieve rapid growth)]

[Task Reward: Treasure Chest (Silver)]

Alright, the logic was sound.

But it was too utilitarian, and he didn't like it.

Lin Chuyan really liked Ruan Xingyu, task or no task.

At 5:30 PM, he headed to the restaurant as agreed.

They had set the time for seven, but the restaurant Ruan Xingyu chose was in the city center, quite far from his home, so he had to leave early.

Before leaving, he specifically took a shower and blew-dried his hair... and that was it.

His face was really hard to groom; there were just no flaws, and the parts that could be improved were truly limited.

A black sweater paired with off-white corduroy pants and a pair of white shoes—simple, but it looked really good on him...

Without his own transportation, he took a taxi and arrived near the designated location by 6:10.

Lin Chuyan wasn't in a hurry. After getting out of the car, he walked around and found a flower shop.

The clerk saw him looking around and proactively greeted him: "Hello, is this for your girlfriend?"

Lin Chuyan was a bit embarrassed: "An internet friend, female."

The clerk was quite calm: "Then shall I put one together for you?"

"Okay, um, she's not my girlfriend, just... someone I like, you know."

"...Alright."

Someone this handsome is doing online dating? What kind of strange hobby is this?

The clerk didn't quite understand.

After buying the flowers and walking back, it wasn't long before the agreed-upon time.

The restaurant wasn't easy to find. It looked very inconspicuous from the outside, with only the character "Zhe" on the sign.

Once inside, however, it was a different world. It was clear that a lot of effort had been put into the decor. Lin Chuyan gave the name of the private room and was quickly led over by a waiter.

The private room was a bit small, without the large tables meant for multiple diners; it seemed designed specifically for privacy.

Ruan Xingyu hadn't arrived yet. Lin Chuyan looked at everything he could see in the room and found there was nothing interesting to look at.

Alright. He just couldn't sit still.

At this moment, he was truly getting nervous.

Pacing back and forth, he felt that this waiting time was truly agonizing.

It was killing him.

Fortunately, Ruan Xingyu didn't make him wait too long and wasn't late.

A few light knocks sounded on the door.

Lin Chuyan wiped the sweat from his hands, adjusted his breathing, and hurried over to open the door.

Standing outside the door was a beauty, stunning and breathtaking.

"Hello, Lin Chuyan."

"Hello, Ruan Xingyu."